Stalked by Memories
by lshd
Summary: Jane struggles with Remi's memories. Will she be able to overcome them before the people that don't want her to remember can stop her?
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Okay, I want to write more…but I have totally lost my imagination. I don't know where it went… In an attempt to find it I have started this multi-chapter story that has…plot! Gasp…. I know, I know…I abandoned plot last summer, but this could work out. Maybe. Guess we'll see together. :)

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Jane closed the bathroom door quietly. She didn't want to wake Kurt up. The nightmare had been vivid, but as she lay in the dark trying to come to terms with the pictures in her head, she'd begun to realize that the images had been real.

Remi's memories were painful and as hard as it had been not knowing her past, knowing wasn't any easier.

She was constantly triggered by some random moment and very few of the memories flooding her mind were worth having.

The nightmare had been about when she'd shot at Kurt and he'd flipped the car over and over. She'd done that and remembering it made sweat break out on her forehead. She could have killed him…

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as that moment replayed over and over in her head.

How was he still with her? His life had been closed off before he let her in, but wasn't even that better than everything she'd put him through? She'd brought the worst evil to his door and then turned around and left him. He'd taken her back only to have her leave him again. All because her psychotic family had been meddling in their lives… Then she turned back into Remi and been told she was dying… And now she's slowly losing her mind. She can't sleep. She wakes up every night with horrible images fighting for domination.

Taking an un-steady breath she tried to pull herself together. She should wake Kurt. That thought came out clearly in the muddle that was her mind. Even as she acknowledged that it was the right thing to do, she didn't move. He looked at her like she was an amazing gift, but she knew she was really just a terrible burden. If she kept piling on the baggage, Kurt would either break under the weight or finally realize nothing she could do would ever make this struggle worth it. She was completely broken…

_No more secrets…_

The voice in her head was so real that she froze worried she was hallucinating again. Looking around the dark bathroom she realized it was just her guilt talking.

Turning toward the door she straightened up and wiped her face. She opened the door and walked hesitantly forward.

"Kurt," She whispered as she sat on the bed next to him.

He reached for her, still more than half asleep. Since her side of the bed was empty his hand didn't find her. That woke him.

"Jane?" Kurt's head lifted from the bed.

"I'm here," Jane assured him.

He turned toward her immediately and pulled her back down on his side of the bed, "You okay?"

She snuggled into his warmth and took a deep breath.

"No," She admitted quietly.

Kurt pushed up on his elbow so that he could lean over her, now completely alert. "What's wrong?"

"I tried to kill you," Jane met his eyes in the dark and even in the darkness he could read the torment on her face.

"But you didn't," He reminded her.

"I keep….getting all of these memories." Jane tried to explain. "They come out randomly. I never know what I'm going to remember. It's like I'm walking across a minefield and the next step might be the one that kills me…"

His eyes closed at the pain in her voice.

"What do you need?" He worried.

"I…" She had no idea how to answer that.

"Jane?" Kurt kissed her temple.

"I don't know." She finally admitted.

"We can get you a therapist," Kurt insisted, "Someone to help you sort through this."

Jane stiffened. After Bordon and Dr. Sun…she was more than a little reluctant.

"Eventually I'll have to remember everything…right?" She asked hopefully, "Then when the memories stop ambushing me, things will finally get better."

"I don't think you should wait," Kurt worried.

"I don't want to remember everything," Jane whispered into the dark.

Kurt's arms tightened around her securely. He didn't know what to say, so he just held her against him.

"I don't think it's about choice," Kurt finally whispered, his hand gently soothing her back.

"It's never about choice," Jane realized.

"That's not true," Kurt denied, "We chose to be together."

"But for how long?" Jane vocalized her greatest fear.

"What do you mean?" Kurt worried with his hand freezing on her back.

"How can you want to be with someone like me?" Jane finally asked him, "I've brought you nothing but pain and misery."

Kurt pulled her more snuggly against him and kissed her forehead. "All my best moments are with you." He insisted simply.

"And all of your worst moments…" Jane reminded him.

"Yeah," Kurt didn't deny it, "But even the worst moments with you are better than my best moments with anyone else."

Jane drew in an unsteady breath at his utter sincerity.

"Everything worth having in my life starts and ends with you," Jane finally was able to respond.

"We're going to get through this," Kurt assured her, "I'm here for whatever you need…always."

"I love you." Jane kissed his neck.

"I love you too." He wrapped both arms around her and sheltered her from the World. The fight was inside her, but she was the strongest person he knew…

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"She remembers," The man reported.

"You're sure?" The second man demanded.

"I'm sure."

The second man took a breath.

"It was one thing to have her running around with all of that classified information lost in her head, it's another thing to have her aware of what we did…"

"If Carter had stopped her before she remembered…"

"But he didn't. Looks like that's up to us…"

"What about her husband?"

"If she'd told him, he'd already be after us. Kurt Weller doesn't play the game."

"I'll take care of it."

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"Jane you'll go through the side door," Reade was saying, "Our intel indicates that it should be clear, but be careful."

"Kurt," Reade turned to him, "You'll lead Bravo team in through the back."

"I'm with Jane," Kurt insisted.

"Jane's simply covering our bases," Reade explained, "The real threat is in the back. I need you there."

He didn't tell them that he was protecting Jane, but he was doing his best to ease her back into the field, not only for her sake, but for Weller's.

Kurt wanted to continue to argue, but he realized what Reade was doing and didn't want to push it. If Jane thought they were coddling her, she wouldn't understand.

"Fine," He reluctantly agreed.

"I'll bring Alpha team in from the front," Reade continued.

"Why doesn't Jane get a team?" Rich worried.

"We're her team," Patterson assured Rich.

"But…we're here…" Rich continued to protest.

"It's fine, Rich," Jane assured him, "I've got this."

"Let's move," Reade turned and they headed toward the armory.

"She should get a team!" Rich hissed to Patterson as he watched them walk away.

"There shouldn't be anyone in that area of the warehouse," Patterson insisted.

"Yeah," Rich scoffed, "Like that always works out…"

"We're all worried," Patterson admitted, placing her hand on Rich's arm gently.

Rich didn't answer and she knew he didn't want to admit just how concerned he was so she let it drop.

"Clear," Jane said into the com a little over an hour later.

"Taking the front," Reade announced and Rich and Patterson could hear the door charge go off in the background.

"Going in the back," Kurt responded simultaneously.

"Taking fire," Kurt warned the others.

"We're coming," Reade assured him.

The fight was loud, but the teams converged and before long the men from the warehouse were in custody.

It was only after the shots died down that Kurt called to Jane, "Jane, you clear?"

When there was no response, Kurt asked more desperately, "IS JANE CLEAR?"

Patterson was busy typing on the computer, trying to locate Jane's signal.

"Did we lose her?" Rich demanded. He was standing very still as he watched Patterson's fingers flying over the keyboard.

"Patterson?" Kurt demanded. The tension they could hear in his voice painful to listen to.

"We've lost her signal," Patterson admitted, "It could just be a technical malfunction."

"Reade?" Kurt demanded, now on the move with his only goal to find his wife.

"She's not here," Reade was forced to admit. "I need any agent not currently processing the suspects to search for Jane Doe."

Twenty minutes later there was no question, Jane was gone.

Kurt approached Reade, his eyes wild.

"We found her coms," Reade admitted, "And her weapon."

"Was there any…" Kurt couldn't ask if she'd been wounded.

"There was some blood, but not enough to be fatal and we don't even know if it was Jane's." Reade explained.

"Well, she wouldn't have just left." Kurt argued.

Reade didn't say anything. Jane had left before…

"It's not like that," Kurt knew what he was thinking.

"You said she was struggling with all of Remi's memories." Reade worried, "Maybe it got to be too much for her."

Kurt's jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists, "She didn't leave on her own."

"No," Rich agreed, "We found video surveillance that shows her being removed from the warehouse and taken away in a van."

"Can you follow where they're taking her?" Kurt demanded.

"We're trying to do that now," Patterson assured him.

"_I should have been with her_!" Kurt glared at Reade.

"We're going to find her," Reade insisted.

Kurt turned away without saying anything, he couldn't lose her now…

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"Was she unconscious or…" Rich was looking at Patterson.

"If they had killed her, they wouldn't have bothered to take her," Patterson insisted.

Rich wilted in relief. She was right. He should have realized that himself…but seeing Jane's unconscious body being thrown into the back of that van had short circuited the logic center of his brain.

"You didn't tell Kurt…" He accused her.

Patterson stopped and turned to Rich aggressively, "What?" She demanded, "You wanted me to tell Kurt that Jane was carried out of that warehouse like she was dead? That the two huge men that took her threw her in the back of that van like she was garbage? How about the fact that we _lost_ the van? Should I tell him that?"

Her unravelling helped him to find clarity.

"No," He agreed, "What we're going to tell him is that we found her."

"Damn right," Patterson turned back toward her keyboard and Rich took a deep breath and turned off his panic. He could panic later, after they found Jane…

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Jane woke up slowly. Shifting uncomfortably, she slowly started to realize something was wrong…

The last thing she remembered was breaching the warehouse…

Her eyes flew open in panic. _Where was Kurt?_ Blinking several times she at first thought she'd gone blind again. Then she realized she was simply looking at absolute darkness.

Her hands reached out and encountered wood. Running her hands along the edge, she realized it wasn't just a roof…it was a box.

Her mind balked at the sudden realization, she was in a box…

Her breathing became erratic and unable to prevent the panic from setting in she opened her mouth and an anguished scream escaped…."KURT!"

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"Is it taken care of?"

"Yeah," The man confirmed.

"She's dead?" There could be no room for doubt.

"As good as…"

"What?"

The man raised the cloth to his still bleeding nose. "We took care of it."

"For your sake you better hope so."

Hanging up the phone he turned to his accomplice.

"We should have just shot her." His partner warned.

"She broke my nose and three of my fingers…" The first one complained.

"So you bury her alive?" The second said in disgust.

"You didn't know her before," The man insisted, "She was lethal in a way you can't teach…"

"All the _more _reason to put a bullet in her head!" The second man argued.

"No," The first denied, "She's right where she needs to be."


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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"What'd you find?" Kurt demanded as he strode into the Lab, still wearing his tactical gear.

"We lost the van," Rich didn't sugar coat it.

"What _do_ you have?" Reade demanded, following closely on Kurt's heals.

Silence met that question.

"We know she was taken by two men," Patterson explained, "The van used was reported stolen an hour prior to the abduction."

"That doesn't make any sense," Reade protested.

"Criminals commonly steal vans to commit crimes," Rich insisted.

"But they didn't know we were coming," Kurt insisted, "Why would they steal a van an hour _before_ we raided the warehouse?"

"Maybe they were going to use it for something else," Patterson suggested.

"They had their entire organization up and running," Reade denied, "They wouldn't risk bringing attention to themselves by stealing a van."

"So you don't think it was part of the group we were taking down?" Rich looked even more worried.

"Who knew we were going in?" Kurt looked over at Reade.

"We had to vet it through the other agencies," Reade admitted, "Make sure we weren't going to encounter another active investigation."

"So…CIA, NSA?" Kurt demanded.

"Yeah," Reade admitted.

Rich and Patterson shared a look.

"You think now that Keaton is in a coma, the CIA is looking to reacquire Jane?" Rich worried.

"Maybe," Reade conceded, "Plus, now that she has her memories back…"

"You _told_ them that she has her memories back?" Patterson interrupted him.

"No," Reade denied, "But they are in the information business. It would be pretty hard to keep something like that to ourselves."

Afreen joined them, "I just finished running the DNA on the blood found in the warehouse."

"Was it Jane's?" Kurt worried.

"No," Afreen assured him, "We're checking the data bases, but we don't have a match yet."

"We need to interview the prisoners," Reade looked over at Kurt, "We might be wrong. If they know anything…"

"Then they're going to tell us…" Kurt finished for him, turning toward the interrogation rooms.

"I think Patterson and I should go," Reade told his retreating back.

"No," Kurt didn't turn around.

"You better hurry if you want to have anything left to question," Rich looked up at Reade.

Reade followed after Kurt with a resigned expression. "Find us something," He threw over his shoulder.

"We will," Patterson promised, watching them leave with a troubled expression.

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Jane knew she had to get herself under control. After her initial panic subsided, she struggled to get her breathing regulated. She knew she didn't have much air so she couldn't waste any of it by panicking.

Her head was aching and she brought her watch up to see how long she'd been unconscious. It had only been about an hour. That didn't make any sense. She'd pounded on the wood and she knew she was buried. How had the men that took her had the time to get her, find a box and dig a hole in an hour? She realized that they wouldn't have. This was something else. Something planned.

There was no way she would be able to break the wood to climb her way out. Even if she could, she didn't know how deep she was buried. She suddenly realized that this could be it. She'd been so afraid that she would die of zip poisoning…and now this.

Kurt's face flashed in front of her eyes. This would devastate him. If she disappeared…just like Taylor. She knew he would spend however long it took to find her. She didn't want that for him. The thought of him searching…broke her heart. He was such a good man…he didn't deserve this. For it to keep happening was beyond cruel.

Determined to stop the inevitable, Jane found new resolve. She started going through her pockets and coming up with a plan. She knew the team was looking for her she just needed to do something to help them find her…

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"Well?" Patterson asked when Kurt and Reade joined them again.

"They don't know anything about this," Reade stated confidently.

"How can you be sure?" Rich demanded.

Reade looked over at Kurt, "I'm sure."

Rich looked over at Kurt and didn't argue any further. Kurt looked like he was ready to kill someone. If Rich had anything left to confess, he would do it to a man wearing that face. Weller was one of his favorite people, but even Rich knew he was more animal than man right now.

"Good enough," Rich turned back to his computer.

"Do you have anything?" Kurt growled.

"The van was found torched," Patterson explained, "As soon as it cools down enough, we're going to have it brought in. Until then, Afreen is taking a team over to see if they can find anything."

"Why aren't you going?" Reade asked in surprise.

"I'm too busy breaking into the NSA database using the data access key Nas gave me," Patterson admitted.

"That still works?" Reade didn't comment on the illegal nature of her search.

"Well, they fired her so quickly she didn't exactly have time to cut me off." Patterson explained.

"Rich?" Reade looked over at him suspiciously.

"I am definitely not hacking into the CIA secure server to find out what they know," Rich assured him.

"Could it be a member of Sandstorm?" Kurt worried.

"No," Patterson insisted, "Jane was the last one once Sheppard was killed."

"Could it have been MCI Global" Reade worried.

"No, they're too busy scrambling to plan something like this," The answer came from the lab door.

Everyone turned to Zapata in surprise.

"Tasha," Reade walked over to her and took in the fact she'd recently been in a fight, "Did you get what you needed?"

"Yeah," She held up her phone, "I heard about Jane coming through the Bullpen."

"Did Madelyn ever talk about Jane?" Kurt didn't respond to her arrival. He was in lockdown mode with a single focus.

"No," Tasha assured him, "Unlike Crawford she wasn't consumed with stopping the FBI. She never considered you a threat at all. I'm sure she does now…"

"I've got something," Rich said over his shoulder.

The team converged on him.

"The CIA does know that Jane has her memories back." He told them, scanning through the communications.

"How'd they find out?" Reade demanded.

"They have someone on the inside," Rich told them, "They keep referring to Informant F."

"Well, that's original," Patterson scoffed.

"Who knows about Jane regaining her memories besides us?" Kurt looked over at Patterson.

"My entire lab," She admitted, "A handful of agents…maybe."

"We need a list," Reade told her.

"I'll run a program searching the data base for any communication that has mentioned Jane's memory or accessed any of our files regarding the procedure to bring Jane back." Patterson assured him.

"Rich, can you see who at the CIA was on the receiving end of that information?" Zapata asked him.

"It's encrypted," Rich explained, "But I'll get it."

"Tasha do you have any contacts over there that can expedite this?" Reade asked her.

"No," Tasha denied, "If I even try to contact them, they will just take me into custody. Until Keaton is out of his coma…"

"Can't you explain?" Kurt demanded.

"Last time I tried to explain," Tasha denied, "They knocked me out and put me in the trunk of a car…so I'm thinking not."

"Rich," Kurt turned to him, "We need a list of Black sites."

Everyone froze at that demand.

"You don't really think…" Patterson protested.

"Yes," Kurt insisted, "I do."

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"I've got something," Afreen joined the team in the lab.

"What'd you find?" Kurt looked over at her.

"Jane's weapon hadn't been fired," Afreen explained, "So when I realized the blood at the site wasn't hers, I figured she'd damaged whoever was trying to take her. I contacted all the hospitals and clinics around the area and I found out that a man was treated for a broken nose less than five miles from the warehouse."

"Men get into fights all the time," Reade said doubtfully.

"I know," Afreen agreed, "But I accessed the video from the clinic, it looks like one of our suspects."

Walking over to the monitor she pulled up the video of the abduction and the clinic for comparison.

Kurt was staring at the image of Jane being thrown into the back of the van obviously unconscious.

Patterson shot him a concerned look before beginning her comparison.

"I think it's the same man," She agreed, "Run facial recognition software."

"It's cycling now," Afreen assured her.

"What name did he check in under?" Rich asked her.

"A false name," Afreen admitted.

"I'll check the parking cameras to see if we can find out how he got there," Rich told them.

Kurt was staring at them man with a fixed and deadly expression. Taking a deep breath Patterson wouldn't want to be him when Kurt got a hold of him…

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Jane's hand froze as she felt her left pocket. Reaching inside she couldn't believe it. Her phone. She never took her phone when they were on an op. None of them did. She'd been so consumed with reassuring Kurt that she was fine, she'd forgotten to leave it in her locker. She also discovered her tactical folding knife in a pocket of her vest. She still had the extra clips full of bullets, but her gun was gone.

Pulling the phone free she turned it on. The light was blinding after being trapped in the dark. Looking at the top of the screen she felt her eyes well up with tears when she realized it wouldn't do her any good. She was buried. She didn't have any cell service. Her eyes closed at the painful realization. She used the light from the phone to examine her surroundings. There wasn't much to see. The box she was in wasn't exactly well made. The few gaps that she could see were too small to be helpful. When she tried wedging the knife into the opening, all she succeeded in doing was ensuring dirt rained down onto her.

With a trembling hand she turned the phone back to her and opened the folder holding her pictures. Seeing Kurt's face she felt her heart steady. Reluctantly she turned off the phone to conserve power. She needed to come up with a plan…

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To say they took him buy surprise was an understatement.

Kurt, Reade and Tasha ensured he had no avenue for escape.

"What's this about?" The man protested, his innocence clearly feigned.

Kurt didn't answer him, he simply took his weapon and re-dislocated the man's nose.

"Hey!" The suspect protested, even as the blood began to run.

Once the first drop hit the ground, Kurt said to Patterson, "We have a comparison specimen."

"Forensics is already at the scene." Patterson didn't ask any questions.

Reade clapped he cuffs on their suspect. Once he was secured Tasha pulled her weapon out and pointed at the man, "Where is she?"

"You're the FBI," The man scoffed, "You're not going to shoot me."

"I'm CIA," Tasha told him.

The man began to look concerned.

"Where is she?" Reade repeated Tasha's question.

"I don't know what you're talking about," The man's face became impassive.

Tasha pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the wall behind the man.

"I'm not going to ask you again." She warned him.

"If you're going to shoot me," The man told Tasha, "Then do it."

"Oh," She pulled up, "I'm not going to shoot you…we're just going to make you wish you were dead."

Turning to look at the team they'd clearly underestimated the man felt fear pool low. These might be officers of the law, but he had no doubt they would do whatever it took to find Jane Doe. He might have sentenced her to death, but looks like his satisfaction would be short lived…

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Jane pushed the final bullet up into the dirt and took a shallow breath. Her makeshift antenna was in place, but since she didn't know how deeply she was buried, she had no idea if the bullets she'd carried were even enough to clear the dirt.

Sheppard had loved rural locations. Jane wasn't unfamiliar with having no cell service. She knew that her current phone had the antenna inside the phone. She needed to take it apart if she was going to try to connect that antenna with the line of bullets to get any type of reception. If she manually transferred her phone to the 3G network, dismantled it and sent a text instead of making a call…she might be able to alert the team.

She started to laugh. The sound wasn't filled with mirth. What was she supposed to tell them? She didn't know where she was. There was every chance that this wasn't going to work anyway. She couldn't help them find her…but she could tell them goodbye. A tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away roughly.

Turning the phone back toward her she tried to compose herself. She wanted to leave Kurt a message, just in case he ever found her…but she didn't want him to know just how scared she was. Taking an unsteady breath she started recording.

"Kurt," She swallowed and gave him a sad smile. "I don't know if you'll ever see this message, but I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. I'm sorry, I don't know where I am, but it doesn't matter. They buried me…so you don't have to find me. I'm running out of air. Finding my body doesn't matter, the best part of me lives only in your heart. Finding you was the best thing that ever happened to me, my only regret is not having more time to show you just what you mean to me. I've always loved you and nothing could change that, not even death. Tell our team…our family that I love them. It's not anyone's fault. I did this to myself. Instead of looking for my body…look for happiness. I know it's out there waiting for you and I want you to find it. Tell Avery and Bethany that I love them. Be there for them like I wished I could. I'm not giving up yet…but there aren't any guarantees. You give me strength even when things seem impossible and I want to give you that same strength to carry on if things go badly. Don't give up. I live in your heart and as long as it's still beating I will never die. I love you."

Jane ended the video and had to take a moment to control her emotions. She would send a short text if she could get a signal, but then she would send that video if she could. She didn't want him to spend his life searching for another body buried in the mud. He deserved more than that and she wanted him to have it.

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"How did this happen?" Kurt demanded to Reade.

"He kept a suicide capsule in his belt," Reade explained.

Kurt looked at the man that had killed himself before they could get him to talk and turned away in disgust.

"We still have his phone," Reade called to Kurt's retreating back, "We'll still find her!"

Entering the lab he looked over at Patterson, "He killed himself. Do we even know who he is?"

"We think he might have been special forces," Patterson suggested.

"You _think_ or you _know?"_ Kurt demanded.

Rich pulled up a picture of their subject leaving the clinic, "Does this look familiar?"

Kurt looked over at the screen to see a replica of Jane's tattoo on the man's arm.

"He was in Orion?" Kurt demanded.

"All of Jane's military team had the same tattoos," Patterson reminded him.

"I thought they were all killed in the drone strike." Kurt protested.

"Not all of them," Rich denied, "The one's that weren't going to talk were honorably discharged."

"Can we see who else was discharged around the same time? If this is because of Jane's past memories resurfacing, then we might be able to find the other man that took her." Kurt suggested.

Suddenly Kurt's phone vibrated. He pulled it out and looked down at it absently. Suddenly he stiffened.

"I just got a text from Jane," He told Patterson in shock.

"What?" Patterson dropped what she was doing and rushed over.

"What does it say?" Rich demanded.

"It says…" Kurt hesitated, "That they buried her…"


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Kurt thought his knees would buckle when he read Jane's text. He almost couldn't say the words she'd written.

"_They buried her!"_ Rich exclaimed loudly.

"How does Jane have her phone?" Patterson worried as she considered the ramifications.

Kurt didn't say anything. In truth he couldn't.

"If she's buried…how did she send a text?" Rich's mind was clicking on all cylinders.

"We need to pinpoint her location," Kurt's voice was hoarse.

Patterson looked up at him sharply. Seeing his ashen complexion she placed a hand gently on his shoulder and squeezed. Then she turned back to her computer to see if she could get a location.

Kurt watched her as if from a far distance. His ears rang and his head swam. _They buried her…_

With trembling hands he texted back. _Are you hurt? Do you know where you are?_

He waited for a response. Just when he didn't think he was going to get one he received the second text. His brow furrowed when he realized it was a video. Stepping away from the others he hit play. Jane's face was suddenly on the screen. He could see how confined the space was and she had dirt on her face that was streaked from crying. She wasn't crying now and he knew she was trying to be strong… He listened to the video with a clenched jaw and trembling hand.

_She was running out of air…_

Suddenly he was the one that was having trouble breathing…

"Kurt!" Patterson said sharply drawing his attention to her.

His blank stare was enough to convince Rich that he was about to go down for the count. Pushing a chair up behind him he forced Kurt to sit.

_She told him not to look for her… but finding her was all he had left._

Rich and Patterson watched the video while he stared blankly at the floor.

Their conversation was filled with gestures and tension, but he didn't hear anything.

_Tell the team that I love them…_

Kurt could fill his heart beating harshly in his chest.

_The best part of me is in your heart…_

He felt his eyes well up with tears.

_Be there for Avery and Bethany like I wished I could…_

A tear fell over.

_I love you…_

Suddenly Kurt felt adrenalin burst through him. _She was running out of air…_

_"_Could you pinpoint her location?" Kurt demanded, his voice overriding their squabbling.

"It's north of here," Patterson confirmed, "But the search area is too wide…"

"You've seen the video," Kurt was watching her closely, "How much air does she have?"

Patterson hesitated.

"Patterson," Kurt needed for her to tell him.

"Based on the size of the box…I'd say no more than four hours." She admitted reluctantly.

Kurt drew in a harsh breath. It had already been over three.

"What can we do to find her exact location?" Kurt looked between them.

"We're going over anyplace that we can identify that has ties to either Orion or our dead kidnapper," Rich explained.

"You need a copter," Patterson told him, "Head that way and we'll find a way to give you coordinates."

Reade and Tasha came in the door just as Kurt was going out. Seeing his expression, Reade looked over at Patterson in alarmed.

"What's happening?" He worried.

"You're flying toward Jane's location," Patterson gave him the cliff notes version, "Times a factor…"

Reade didn't ask any more questions. If Patterson was giving an abbreviated version of events, then time wasn't only a factor, it was the deciding factor.

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Jane watched the battery charge on her phone decline too fast. On the screen she had the picture of their wedding day. Kurt was looking at her with such a loving expression that she didn't want to look away. She knew that was likely the last sight she would ever see… and just like that the phone died and she was plunged back into darkness. She didn't know if any of her messages got out. She didn't know if there was any hope…

Coughing she knew time was running out. Her thoughts became disjointed and she fumbled and dropped the phone weakly.

As she lay in the darkness, the memories were waiting for her. With no way to hide she felt the churning of unwanted memories pulling her down. It was as if she were drowning.

"Kurt…" She whispered as the memories overwhelmed her.

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The man walked up to the freshly turned dirt. Stopping he looked down and cursed.

Folding the tracking devise, he squatted down and bowed his head. That's when he saw the bullets that littered the ground. In confusion he studied the strangely linear line on the dirt. It was only after several moments that he realized what that meant.

Surging to his feet he knew he didn't have enough time. Looking around he saw just what he needed.

Racing over to the discarded pile of fencing and various other junk he reached for the hollow pipe that had once been an end post. It was bent and rusted, but it would have to do.

Bending it back and forth he broke it off at the bend. It had obviously been someone's hunting stand because there was also a barrel that was full of old feed bags. He quickly wrapped the end of one of the bags around the open end of the pipe.

Picking up a rock he moved back to the grave. Planting it in the loose soil he began to drive it into the ground. It went relatively quickly because the ground hadn't had time to settle. Finally he hit a solid object. He hesitated only a moment before he began to hit the pipe in earnest.

At first nothing happened, but then there was an audible crack and the pipe suddenly dropped lower. He took a small branch that he'd stripped from a tree and threaded it through the pipe until he could push the sack off the other end. Reaching for his phone he turned on the light and looked down the hole. He could just make out a part of a hand. It wasn't moving…

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"I don't know where she is," Patterson's lip trembled and she looked over at Rich.

Rich froze and looked up at her with a tragic expression.

They were nearing the four hour mark. Kurt, Reade and Zapata were circling the area, but Patterson had no idea where they should land.

"Don't do that!" Rich insisted, "You don't give up…"

"She's got to be out of air!" Patterson was losing it.

"We don't know what time they buried her," Rich reminded her, "We're going by the time she was taken. When you add in the drive time and the time it took to dig the hole…we can still find her alive."

"We can't let him down!" Patterson insisted, "If we don't figure this out in the next thirty minutes, there will be no saving her."

"We have to think," Rich didn't comment on Patterson's words, he concentrated on the task.

"The tower the phone pinged on covers 25 square miles." Patterson was looking at the map.

"But we know that she was buried," Rich reminded her, "So if we take away some of that distance," He calculated decreasing coverage based on depth.

"And we take in topography and population…" Patterson looked up at the shrinking map.

Typing in some parameters they watched the map shrink even more.

"We have a five mile radius." Rich looked over at her.

"That's still too large an area…" Patterson insisted.

"Check the deed records for the land inside the target zone," Rich suggested.

Patterson pulled up the required records.

"There's a hunting cabin that was sold two years ago… the owner is now a shell company." Patterson looked up at Rich.

"Is any part of the land in the target zone?" Rich demanded.

"One and a half acres of it falls inside the zone," Patterson looked up at Rich with renewed hope.

"Oh," Rich pointed to the map, "And look there's a road that leads right to it…"

Patterson relayed the coordinates to the pilot. With a shuddering breath she looked back over at Rich, "We better not be wrong."

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The man looked up at the helicopter as it performed an obvious grid search. He knew he didn't have time to dig her out, but he knew that help was coming.

Reluctantly he retreated, still not knowing if she was dead or alive.

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Kurt was out of the helicopter before the skids even touched the ground. He ran over to the hunting cabin with Reade and Zapata close on his heels.

Once the structure was cleared, the three of them split up to search for recently disturbed ground.

Kurt looked around the cold and desolate place and couldn't think of a worse place for his warm and vibrant wife.

"Over here!" Reade called.

Kurt and Zapata rushed to where he was already digging.

They wasted no time joining him. Soft ground and desperation cleared the hole rapidly, but Kurt knew it wasn't fast enough. Jane had disappeared more than five hours ago…

Zapata reached for the pipe, but Kurt grabbed her hand.

"Wait!" He used his light to look through the opening. When he saw Jane's hand, he drew in a harsh breath. There was still hope!

"Leave it," He warned them, "It's a ventilation shaft."

Reade and Tasha shared a stunned look. They had gone into this with very little hope.

Once they were far enough to hit the box, Kurt threw his shovel aside and leaned down into the hole and began moving the dirt with his hands. The lid was actually multiple sized pieces of wood nailed down over the opening, cracked where the ventilation shaft had been driven through it. Reade was reaching for something to pry the wood open when Weller grabbed the edge of the board and began to rip it open with his bare hands. The wood gave out with a terrible groan as the nails gave way.

Zapata would never forget that sound.

Then there was nothing between them. Kurt looked down at his still wife and with trembling hands reached for her. She wasn't moving.

Reade climbed out of the hole and told him, "Pass her to me…"

Kurt didn't hesitate to pull her against his chest. His arms were desperate. She was still warm… Once she was in his arms, passing her over became a real challenge.

Looking up into Reade's concerned face he reluctantly let her go. Reade pulled her out of the hole easily. Laying her on the ground he reached for a pulse.

Kurt was beside them before Reade could even find it.

"Is she…" He couldn't even voice the question.

"She's alive!" Reade assured him.

Kurt leaned down and began giving her mouth to mouth. It only took two rounds before she gasped harshly and began to cough.

"Jane!" Kurt tried to subdue her when she began to panic.

"They're coming for me," Jane fought, her eyes unfocused.

"We're here, we're here," Kurt kept repeating, his arms holding her securely against him.

Jane didn't seem to hear him and his heart broke as she continued to struggle.

"Roman!" Jane called in confusion…

"It's Kurt," Weller held her more tightly.

"Kurt?" Jane suddenly wilted against him. When she began to sob uncontrollably, Kurt felt his own tears join hers. Looking back down into the hole he saw the miniscule space and his heart broke for her. She'd thought she was going to die down there…

"We've got the scene," Reade assured Kurt, "Take the helicopter and get her to the hospital."

He picked Jane up and headed back to the clearing.

Tasha looked down into the hole silently.

"How could they do that to her?" She whispered to Reade.

"The real question is how could she have lived in that world for so long and still be the woman that we know and love?" Reade countered.

Tasha thought back to what she'd witnessed since going undercover. She was not the woman she'd been even eight months ago…how had Jane not lost her soul living in the shadows for so long?

"Patterson," Reade called to them, "We found her."

"Is she…?" Patterson hesitated.

"She's alive," Reade assured her.

Looking over at Rich, Patterson burst into tears. With a big smile he pulled her into a hug. "I knew we could do it…" He told her as he swiped at the tear running down his own face.

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As the helicopter lifted off, Kurt was sheltering Jane in his arms. Her face was buried in his neck and her breath against him was like a balm to his soul. She was alive... His eyes closed in relief. Listening to how shattered she was, he knew this was just going to be another thing she carried with her. Kissing her gently on the forehead he determined to get her whatever help she needed to deal with it. She'd already faced too much, it was time to help her start coming to terms with her past. He didn't know about her, but he knew he'd never be the same after this.

"I love you..." Jane whispered softly. He could barely hear her over the sound of the rotors.

Pulling back until he could meet her eyes he responded, "I love you too."

The kiss they shared was tender reassurance that they were both still here, both still together.

Their road wasn't going to get any easier, but their loves solid foundation would see them through whatever was coming...


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Okay, I'm posting this early because I already know Friday is going to be just...great. Did you hear the sarcasm? I have a whole list of things I don't want to do, but can't get out of. Grrrr…. :| This is Friday's installment... I posted Chapter 3 earlier today, so if you haven't read it yet, do that first! If you haven't read any of the chapters, then this is all going to be very confusing! Lol. Hope you enjoy! :)

Renee, my Guest reviewer, thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you like it!

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Kurt sat silently next to Jane's bed. His eyes didn't stray from her sleeping figure. His hand held hers tightly as though she would somehow slip away from him if he lowered his guard for even a moment.

The Doctor had run tests and determined that Jane was physically no worse for wear. Emotionally…mentally that was another story. It was evident that she knew he was with her, because even in sleep she was clutching his hand just as tightly.

They had given her something to calm her after it became apparent that she was exhausted, but her trauma wouldn't let her sleep.

Kurt knew that was a part of the problem, but he also knew she'd been struggling with acceptance of her past actions ever since she retained Remi's memories.

Her breathing became erratic and he lifted their joined hands to his lips to sooth her. It seemed to work, because her head turned toward him even though she didn't waken. He was exhausted too, but refused to leave her unattended…

"You need to relax," A different Doctor chided him from the doorway.

Kurt started in surprise. He hadn't heard her come in.

"I'm…" He started to introduce himself, but was interrupted.

"Kurt Weller," The Doctor finished for him, "And this is your wife Jane Doe."

"That's right," Kurt agreed.

"I'm Doctor Coleman," She walked over to pick up Jane's chart.

"My wife…" Kurt was looking back at Jane, "She's been through a lot recently."

"I know," The Doctor agreed, "FBI Director Weise called me in. I'm a psychiatrist with the FBI."

Kurt stiffened at that. He knew Jane needed to find someone to help her come to terms with everything, but he didn't want that person to have the ability to side line her.

At his silence the Doctor smiled kindly. "I'm not that bad."

"We've had some…challenges with your profession. I want Jane to be able to talk with someone _she _feels comfortable with." Kurt explained.

"I think that's a very healthy attitude and having read your file, find it more than understandable. Since most of your wife's trauma is relating to classified information, however, you can't just seek any Doctor for medical care."

Kurt didn't say anything.

"Anyway," The Doctor continued, "I'm not just here for her, I'm here for you too."

"_Me?" _Kurt didn't understand.

"Special Agent Weller," The Doctor was looking at him kindly, "I know you love your wife. In the years since you met and married her you've been through many very traumatic events. You lost her to a CIA Black Site, a hit, familial manipulation, sickness and attempted murder. I'm not surprised to find you here with her and awake even though you looked utterly exhausted."

"Did you also read about our last experiences with an FBI psychiatrist?" Kurt didn't soften at all.

"I can understand your reluctance," Dr. Coleman admitted, "But this is going to happen."

Just then Jane jerked in her sleep. Kurt's attention immediately turned to his wife.

"I'm not leaving," Kurt reached over and placed his hand on Jane's arm. Seeing how it soothed her even in sleep the Dr. smiled.

"I'm not here to tell you you're doing anything wrong Special Agent Weller, I'm here to help you." She assured him.

Suddenly the door opened up and an orderly entered. He looked over at the Doctor and told her, "We don't usually have the oversized beds on this floor."

"This is a special circumstance," The Doctor assured him.

Kurt watched on in puzzlement as an oversized bed was pushed into the room. The space shrunk exponentially.

"We need to get the patient transferred over," The orderly told Kurt moving to the other side of the bed.

"That won't be necessary," The Doctor assured him, "I'm sure her husband can move her."

The orderly raised his hands in surrender.

Kurt lifted Jane gently from the bed. The Doctor ensured the monitoring equipment and IV didn't snag. Once Jane was dwarfed in the larger bed, Kurt watched as the orderly wheeled the standard bed out.

"Now you can both get some sleep," The Doctor observed. "I know what you need Special Agent Weller, and I'll help you when I can, but what I need you to do is to keep an open mind. You and your wife are very capable, but everyone needs help sometimes."

With that she turned and left the room. Kurt turned back to Jane. He knew they needed someone to help them through this, he just didn't trust just anyone with his wife. Before he joined her he reached for his phone. He might not know if he could trust Dr. Coleman, but he knew who he _could_ trust…

"Is Jane okay?" Rich answered on the first ring.

"She's sleeping," Kurt assured him. "I need a favor."

"It's yours," Rich immediately replied.

"It might not be completely…legal," Kurt warned him.

"All the better," Rich said with a smile in his voice, "You know if you don't use skills…you lose them?"

"I need you and Patterson to check into a psychiatrist Weise sent over, her name is Dr. Coleman, she's with the FBI." Kurt explained.

"Dr. Coleman," Rich repeated, his fingers already typing, "I'm on it."

"Rich…" Kurt hesitated.

"Yeah," Rich finished for him, "I love you too."

Listening to the dial tone Kurt smiled for the first time in too many hours to count.

Climbing in beside his wife he pulled her into his arms. He knew there was an Agent standing guard outside Jane's room for protection. Finally right where he needed to be, Kurt allowed himself to sleep.

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"Who was that?" Patterson demanded once Rich hung up.

"Oh," He said casually, "Just a telemarketer."

"You love a telemarketer?" Patterson scoffed.

"Yeah," Rich said convincingly, "When you tell them you love them, it makes them uncomfortable and they stop calling."

"Rich," Patterson tried to see what he was typing.

"Hey now," Rich moved to block her view, "Do I look over your shoulder when you're working?"

"All the time," Patterson said with tone.

"Only to correct you," Rich insisted.

With that Patterson freight trained him out of the way.

"Hey," Rich protested, "This is a work environment and there are personal boundaries…"

"You don't know the meaning of personal boundaries," Patterson said while she was studying his screen. "Why are you running a background check on a Dr. Coleman?"

"Shhhh," Rich moved over to shush her. "This is why I don't' tell you everything, you can't keep a secret."

"What's going on?" Patterson demanded.

"That was Kurt," Rich admitted, "Weise sent over an FBI psychiatrist to help them through this and Kurt doesn't know if he can trust her."

"So he called to ask you to look into her?" Patterson's hurt was easy to hear.

"It might be a little…in the shade," Rich whispered touching the side of his nose.

"You are talking to the woman that just flew to a foreign country to steal a priceless relic to exchange it for illegal stem cells." Patterson couldn't have been more offended.

"You sound kind of proud of your exploits there," Rich told her with a little smile.

"It's not…You know what I…"

Flustered Patterson was his favorite. "He asked for both of us to check…but you should have seen your face!"

"RICH!" Patterson hit him.

"Now who doesn't know the meaning of personal boundaries?" He teased her.

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Tasha looked over at Reade, "Jane was inside this box for five hours."

"Well, it would take me about five minutes before I found a way to end my suffering" He told her.

"You wouldn't kill yourself," Tasha argued.

"Are you kidding?" Reade looked down into the hole, "No way would I allow myself to suffocate to death."

"I guess it's a good thing Jane didn't have her gun then," Tasha said.

Reade reached into the box and pulled out Jane's knife. Holding it up he told her, "She's not like anyone I've ever met."

"I guess she knew that we were trying to find her." Tasha couldn't take her eyes off the knife.

"Where do you get that kind of faith when you're raised by a monster?" Reade asked her.

"I don't know," Tasha admitted. Her life hadn't been roses and sun shine, but she'd always had her Grandma…Jane hadn't even had that.

"Do you think the people that buried her gave her the ventilation?" Reade asked Tasha.

"Who else would have done it?" Tasha said in confusion.

"Why would they do it?" Reade argued, "They buried her…"

"Maybe they wanted her to suffer longer?" Tasha suggested, "Starve to death…"

Reade just looked at her. "I don't think the CIA is good for you," He finally said.

"I didn't bury her!" Tasha protested.

"You seem to be able to find motive in it though." Reade pointed out.

She hid her hurt.

"Anyway," Reade went on, "I don't think it was them."

"Why?" Tasha asked.

"Because of this," Reade held up the feed sack.

"Okay…" Tasha waited, "What does some garbage have to do with the ventilation pipe? There's trash in a pile right over there."

"This was found _inside _the coffin." Reade explained.

"So what?" Tasha looked down at where he was kneeling in the hole, "You think the ventilation shaft was put in after she was buried?"

"That's exactly what I think," Reade admitted.

"So you think they had remorse? Maybe the second man that abducted her came back…" She suggested.

"We need to look around," Reade said, "Maybe we can find something to tell us who saved her life…"

Tasha and Reade began searching the area.

"Over here," She called to him.

Joining her, Reade saw the footprints in the soft ground around the trash pile.

"Do you think it's from the perps?" She asked him.

"No," Reade took out his phone and took pictures of the print, "I think it's from our good Samaritan."

"None of this makes sense," Tasha argued, "How would some bystander know that Jane was buried there?"

"Maybe they saw her being buried." Reade suggested.

"That's a morbid thought." Tasha shuddered. "I doubt that Jane was conscious when she went into that box."

"And if she looked dead, then how and why did they bother giving her ventilation?" Reade asked in frustration.

"What else was in the box?" Tasha asked.

"Just her empty ammo clips." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Empty?" Tasha repeated.

She and Reade shared a look before they moved back over to the hole. It didn't take them long to find the discarded shells.

"Jane had to have been the one that took the bullets out," Reade looked over at Tasha.

"She was trying to get cell coverage!" Tasha realized.

"So whoever saw her being buried, walked over and realized she was still alive when they saw the bullet casings she pushed out of the ground…" Reade stood up and looked over at Tasha.

"Why didn't they call someone for help?" Tasha demanded, "Or dig her out themselves?"

"Maybe we scared them off with the helicopter," Reade suggested.

"But that would mean that they're still out there…" Tasha worried, reaching for her service weapon.

"I think it's time we went hunting," Reade realized.

Standing alone in the dark woods without any means of transport suddenly became less than ideal.

"How long until backup arrives?" Tasha whispered.

"Not soon enough," Reade responded.

The man standing in the woods smiled as he watched them look around them. They should be scared. If he had wanted to kill them, they'd be dead. Turning he headed deeper into the woods. Not everyone belonged in the shadows. The dark was one ally he could always rely on and, as it had in the past, this night it served him well…


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Jane jerked awake. She was lying against Kurt and relaxed immediately. Her brow furrowed as she took in their circumstances.

Kurt was still sleeping and she knew that was a big indication of his exhaustion.

She burrowed closer and rested her hand on his chest. She felt safe. She wanted to stop time.

The door opened and she turned to look. Rich, Patterson, Reade and Tasha entered.

"Hey," She smiled over at them.

"What's this?" Rich demanded taking in the large bed and his favorite couple.

"I…" Jane looked down, "I don't know. I woke up like this."  
Kurt stirred and his arm tightened around her.

"Wake up sleeping beauty," Rich said with a big smile.

Kurt's eyes opened and he skimmed past their visitors to look down at Jane.

"You okay?" He worried.

"Never better," She assured him with a fragile smile.

He kissed her forehead, tightened his arm around her and turned his attention to the others, "What'd you find out?"

"We're pretty sure that the ventilation pipe was placed after Jane was buried." Reade told Kurt.

At the word buried, Jane couldn't prevent her shudder.

"Jane?" Patterson reached for her hand, "Are you okay?"

"I think I might have claustrophobia," Jane said with an ironic little frown.

"I wouldn't be able to get into anything smaller than a stadium," Tasha admitted.

Jane looked over at Tasha. She was torn. On one hand she was happy to get her old friend back, on the other… she was hurt about everything she'd learned since Tasha left.

Giving her file to Carter…selling out Roman.

She wanted the relationship back she _thought_ she had with Tasha.

"Jane…" Tasha whispered painfully.

It was only then that Jane realized she'd been staring at Tasha silently.

"I'm glad you're back," Jane admitted. It was only after the words were spoken that she realized it was true.

Tasha looked away to hide her emotional reaction.

Reade smiled down at Jane. Kurt didn't say anything.

One of the reasons he loved Jane so much was her kindness and empathy, but he wasn't quite so ready to put the past behind them. He trusted very few people and Tasha he'd trusted 100%. That had been a mistake. He wouldn't make it again.

Tasha saw the look on Kurt's face and felt her heart sink. She didn't blame him. She knew how important Jane was to him and she'd hurt her. There was every chance the relationship they'd all once shared was lost forever…

Kurt squeezed Jane before he reluctantly extracted himself from around her.

She ran her hand down his back as he turned to get up.

"Have we had any luck with the second suspect?" Kurt deliberately avoided any reference to the grave.

"Not yet," Patterson denied.

"Did you recognize either of the suspects?" Rich asked Jane.

"No…" Jane denied, "I didn't get a good look at them. They ambushed me in the dark and when I woke up…"

"We got one of them," Rich tried to distract her from her dark thoughts.

"What?" Jane could read the tension in the team. She looked around before turning to Kurt for an explanation.

"The one we were able to find had a tattoo on his arm," Kurt explained, "It matched yours."

"Which one?" She asked in confusion…"Wait…you mean Orion?"

"Yeah," Kurt was watching her with a concerned expression.

"What was his name?" Her expression became impassive.

"Chris Scott," Patterson told her.

Jane looked down but didn't say anything.

Kurt took her hand, "You okay?"

"That means the other man was probably Adam Kent." Jane told them.

"Why would they want to kill you?" Rich demanded.

"Because now I'm a threat," Jane realized.

"How are you a threat to them?" Reade frowned.

"I remember," Jane said simply. "All of the classified missions and the people that recruited me."

"I thought your memories were coming in waves?" Patterson said in confusion.

"Well…" Jane looked up at Kurt and his heart ached at the pain in her eyes, "I recently had some time…to think."

"Oh, Jane," Patterson let go of her hand and wrapped an arm around her.

"Were these men a part of your unit?" Reade asked her.

"No," Jane denied, "My unit was killed in the drone strike. There were six units that composed Orion."

"So Casey, Kent and Scott," Kurt realized, "Were in another unit."

"Orion, but alive, so not my unit." Jane confirmed.

"Why'd they kill you're unit?" Rich didn't understand.

"I'm not sure," Jane admitted, "I think Sheppard probably had something to do with it."

"But…" Rich protested, "She could have killed you!"

"There was no risk," Jane explained, "If I lived, I'd want revenge and come back to her. If I died, Roman would be more convinced than ever to do what she said."

Rich knew he'd always been comfortable playing in the fringes of acceptance, but such diabolical evil chilled even him.

"It's good she's dead," He finally said in the heavy silence.

"Okay," Tasha took a breath, "We know why they want you dead, but why that way?"

"I was the only female in the program," Jane explained, "Some of the men tried their luck and failed. Not all of them took it well."

"How fragile was his ego if he was still angry enough to do this," Tasha said with a scowl.

"Pretty fragile," Jane agreed, "But it wasn't just my disinterest. The men that comprised Orion, they were the most lethal, morally ambiguous people they could find. Right and wrong had next to no meaning to a few of them."

"How did you handle that?" Reade couldn't imagine the woman he knew accepting that type of mentality.

"I wasn't that different," Jane admitted, "But I reported both Scott and Kent for some…troubling behavior. Let's just say they weren't amused."

"What did they do?" Rich asked.

"Let's just leave it there," Jane suggested.

That just made Rich want to know even more.

"So…do you think it was just the two of them out for revenge?" Tasha asked her.

"No," Rich denied, "They took her from a covert operation, they needed intel to be able to do that. It wasn't just them."

"So that means the threat isn't over," Reade looked down at Jane in concern.

"Let's go get Kent," Kurt suggested, "See if he can tell us anything."

"We're on it," Reade motioned to Tasha to come with him.

"Don't forget to take his belt away!" Kurt called after them.

"What?" Jane shook her head in puzzlement.

"We picked up Scott, he killed himself with a cyanide capsule before we could question him." Kurt explained.

"So…he's dead?" Jane confirmed.

"Yeah," Kurt admitted.

Far from looking upset, Jane seemed almost…relieved.

Patterson and Rich shared a look.

"What else did you find out?" Kurt looked between Patterson and Rich.

"Besides the fact that Rich is a pig?" Patterson said tartly.

"Hey now…" Rich protested.

Jane smiled up at Kurt. It warmed his heart.

"We looked into Dr. Coleman and she seems to be top notch. We couldn't find any skeletons. She's been with the Bureau for years and has a spotless record." Patterson explained to Kurt.

"Dr. Coleman?" Jane looked over to Kurt in confusion.

"Weitz sent over a psychiatrist to "help" us get through this," Kurt explained.

As he expected, Jane tensed.

"Us?" She asked with a frown.

"Kurt's been a little on edge lately," Rich pointed out.

Jane immediately turned to Kurt in concern. Of course he had…she should have realized.

"I'm okay," He assured her, shooting a glare at Rich.

"Kurt…" Jane reached for his hand, "I'm sorry…"

"You have _nothing_ to be sorry for," Kurt insisted.

"So, it's okay to talk to her?" Jane looked back to Patterson and Rich.

"So far as we can tell," Patterson confirmed.

"If she makes you uncomfortable…" Kurt assured Jane, "We can find someone else."

"Talking about what is in my head makes me uncomfortable," Jane admitted, "But the life I want for us is worth a little discomfort."

"How about you?" Jane worried, "Are you okay with this?"

"We'll face it together," Kurt assured her.

"Then I might just be strong enough…" Jane let her eyes close wearily.

Seeing how quickly she was fading, Patterson and Rich gave them both a hug and headed for the door.

"You have a security detail," Patterson told them before she pulled open the door, "Do you know when you're going to be released?"

"Sometime today," Kurt reported, "We'll head home…"

"No," Jane denied, "We'll go to the office."

"Jane…" Kurt protested.

"I'll talk to Dr. Coleman, but I don't want to bring this into our home. We'll do it at the office." Jane wouldn't be dissuaded. After Bordon's betrayal, she wanted to keep Dr. Coleman at a distance. She would discuss her issues, but she wouldn't trust her and she wouldn't consider her a friend. It was the best she could do.

"Good enough," Kurt immediately agreed, "After that we go home."

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Reade and Tasha used a charge to blow the door.

They entered Kent's apartment with a team following behind them. They were too late.

Looking down at what was left of their suspect Reade said, "Looks like the clean-up continues."

"What?" Tasha said, "You don't think he stabbed himself to death?"

Looking at the blood that literally covered every surface Reade denied, "Not so much."

"I can't help but think whoever's behind this was a little pissed that Jane wasn't killed outright." Tasha observed.

"Pissed…yes, but….I don't know what to think," Reade said with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Tasha glanced over at him.

"Look at his wounds," Reade suggested, "I think he was tortured."

Tasha turned back to the body. She could now see it.

"Why would the people who tried to kill Jane bother? They know their own motivations…" Tasha argued.

"Maybe the person that killed him wasn't the person that sent them after Jane," Reade suggested.

"I don't know if that makes this situation worse, or better," Tasha said looking at the brutality before her.

"Worse," Reade insisted, "Definitely worse…"

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The man washed the blood from his hands. He'd taken no pleasure in killing Kent, but the bastard had been stubborn. He didn't feel remorse over his actions. Kent had done terrible things, unforgivable things, and wouldn't be missed from this world.

He now had a name, a lead to follow, but he doubted it was the only one he needed.

His actions were not in his own best interests, but he didn't even fight the compelling need to seek vengeance. He knew it was about choices, but in this one instance there was only one choice. Saving Jane. The FBI had no idea what it was up against, but he did. He might have turned away from this life by choice, but he was being pulled back in all too easily.

Looking back down, he checked the tracking device for the third time. She was still in the hospital. The important thing was that she was alive and he was going to do whatever it took to keep her that way…

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The first hurdle came when she was released from the hospital. The wheelchair arrived and she sank into it without even a protest. She just wanted out of here.

The closer they came to the elevator, however, the quicker her breathing had become. She'd hidden it, afraid they'd keep her. Kurt knew she was distressed and walked over to take her hand.

The second his skin touched hers, she took a deep steadying breath. She closed her eyes when the doors opened and concentrated all of her energy on the feel of Kurt's hand and the gentle way his thumb rubbed against her.

When the doors finally opened on the ground floor she squeezed his hand and looked up at him thankfully. The encouraging smile he gave her helped her to relax completely.

She knew she wasn't the only one on edge, because as they were nearing the exit, someone dropped what sounded like a tray full of medical equipment and Kurt had immediately planted himself in front of her to protect her from the possible threat. Yeah, they weren't okay.

Once they were in the back seat of the SUV on the way to the NYO she turned to look at him, "We're kind of a mess."

He picked up the hand he was holding and kissed the back of it, "You're the most beautiful mess I've ever seen."

She blushed and looked to the front seat at her detail. The fact that they were both smiling just made her shake her head.

"You know what I mean," She whispered.

"Yes I do," Kurt confirmed, "And yes we are, but we're going to fix that."

"Why do I think it's not going to be that easy?" She asked.

"No," He agreed, "Probably not, but we can do anything together."

Dr. Coleman was waiting for them when they arrived. Jane was relieved she wasn't in Bordon's or Dr. Sun's office.

"Agent's Doe and Weller," She greeted them, "Come in. I'm Dr. Coleman."

Jane shook the hand she extended.

"You're looking better Special Agent Weller," She observed, "Sleep suits you."

"Thanks," Kurt acknowledged her efforts on their behalf.

"My pleasure." She dismissed, "Now where do you want to start?"

"Exactly what are you here for?" Kurt countered.

"To help you," Was her immediate reply. "Not for any one event or circumstances, but your entire mental wellbeing as a whole."

Silence met her reply.

"Okay," She sat down, "Let me start… Weller, how to you see Jane?"

"She's the most beautiful, capable, empathetic person I've ever met." Weller immediately replied.

"Jane," The Doctor turned to her, "How do you see Weller?"

"He's the most honorable, caring, honest and protective man I've ever met." Jane said immediately.

"Okay, the one part of your life we won't need to work on is your relationship. Seems pretty solid to me."

Kurt and Jane shared a relieved smile.

"Now," The Doctor continued, "Tell me how you see yourself."

Now both of them hesitated.

"I guess we'll begin there." She said in the ensuing silence.

"I'm broken," Jane finally admitted.

"No you're not!" Kurt protested giving her a concerned expression.

"How are you broken?" The Doctor asked without any outward response to Kurt's outburst.

"My mind has been through the wringer. I'm having trouble reconciling my past actions with the person I am now. The person I _want _to be." Jane admitted.

"So are you looking at yourself as two separate people? Remi the evil terrorist and Jane the saintly FBI Agent?" The Doctor asked her curiously.

"No," Jane denied, "I know that Jane's not that different from Remi."

"That's good," The Doctor praised her before turning to Kurt, "But, do _you_ realize that?"

"Remi's gone," Kurt insisted, "What she did, that doesn't reflect on who Jane is."

"So…no." The Doctor said without any accusation.

"This could be why you're having trouble accepting yourself," The Doctor turned back to Jane, "If the man you love and admire most, can't accept all of you, how can you accept that part of yourself?"

"I accept all of her!" Kurt protested.

"You love all of her clearly," The Doctor said kindly, "But accepting that she's not just Jane, she's Remi too, is important so that Jane can start accepting that part of herself."

"He's believed in me, when I didn't even believe in myself," Jane defended him.

"He believed in Jane," The Doctor made the point.

"I wouldn't be Jane without him," Jane argued.

"That's where you're both misguided," The Doctor countered, "You've always been Jane, you just couldn't show it. Fundamental instincts don't change. You didn't lose your memory and suddenly turn into a different, better version of yourself. You have always been this person, this is just the first time you've been free to show it."

Kurt looked over at Jane to gauge her reaction to that pronouncement, only to find her watching him. The hope in her eyes, hurt him. Had he made her believe that Remi was unworthy in any way?

_Getting your memory wiped was the best thing that ever happened to you…_

When he realized that he had just assumed that because she was a terrorist she had no redeeming qualities he felt sick. She'd taught him that shades of gray existed, but he'd never considered how that applied to Remi.

_I recognize parts of you in Jane, it keeps her alive out there, but I see nothing of Jane in you…_

She'd told him, _Jane and I aren't so different_….

Was his preconceptions about who and what Remi was hurting the woman he loved the most?

"Agent Weller?" The Doctor repeated, "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," Kurt turned to Jane, his devastation apparent, "I do accept that Remi is a part of you and I don't love you in spite of that, I love everything that you are…"

"Kurt I know that," She reached out for his hand, "Nobody could have been as loving and supportive as you've been."

"You're husband seems very protective of you," Dr. Coleman noted.

"He is," Jane agreed.

"So," The Doctor turned to her, "You do a very dangerous job, what steps do you take to ensure you don't worry your husband into an early grave?"

"I…" Jane didn't know how to answer that.

"I've read your file and I know you're willing to make sacrifices for his happiness." The Doctor smiled at Jane kindly, "I'm just wondering if your idea of what he needs matches his."

"What do you mean?" Jane worried.

"When you had the bounty placed on your head, you left him," The Doctor reminded her.

"I wanted him to get to be with his daughter," Jane whispered.

"Did you ask him what _he _wanted?" The Doctor said without malice.

"He feels his obligations seriously," Jane explained, "As my husband…he felt like it was his place to go with me."

"Obligation…" Kurt protested.

"You described him earlier as protective…" The Doctor looked down at her notes, "And yet, the person that he would reasonably want to protect the most, chooses to go off alone to face what for most people would almost be certain death…"

Jane blanched.

"Were you really trying to spare him, or yourself from the guilt you felt for bringing this situation into his life?" Dr. Coleman suggested.

"Now…wait a minute," Kurt wasn't amused.

"She's right," Jane placed her hand on Kurt's leg, "Leaving you like that, it was wrong. It was too like what happened with Taylor. I didn't see it at the time and I didn't realize I wouldn't be able to resolve the matter by myself. It wasn't fair to you. I'm sorry."

"Jane…" Kurt stood up and pulled her up with him, "I do accept all of you and I'm sorry if I didn't tell you before."

The Doctor was watching them with a pleased expression.

"Well, I think that's enough progress for today," She stood up as well. "Why don't you go home and get some rest?"

Before they turned away, Kurt looked at the Doctor seriously, "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure Special Agent Weller," The Doctor assured him, "After I read your file and saw all the sacrifices you two have made in your service, I was determined to give back to the two of you in some way."

In spite of herself, Jane was beginning to like the Doctor. She just hoped that this time she didn't regret it…


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Days passed and although they were still working on finding Madeline and HCI Global, they were also spending time trying to figure out where the next threat for Jane might be coming from.

Three weeks from their first meeting with Dr. Coleman Kurt came home with takeout to find the apartment seemingly empty. Setting the food on the counter he frowned and headed to the bedroom. When he didn't find Jane there he began to feel that familiar anxiety. Just as his heart began to race he heard a shuffle and a little thump.

Walking back into the hallway he stopped to listen. Just as he was reaching for his gun, the linen closet door burst open and Jane all but fell out of the opening, tears running down her cheeks, mostly hyperventilating.

Kurt caught her against him, "Jane!" He pulled her in close. "Jane, it's okay."

"K..Kurt," She clutched onto his shirt and buried her face in his neck.

He looked at the open door and the dark interior and his eyes closed in pain.

"You don't have to do it alone," He chided her.

"Dr. Coleman said that I need to face the things that scare me most…" Jane reminded him.

"How long were you in there?" Kurt asked as his hand soothed up and down her back.

"It took me a week just to be able to step inside without closing the door," Jane admitted, "This is the first time I was actually able to close the door….but, the second it got dark…I panicked."

Kissing her temple he insisted, "Why didn't you tell me what you were doing?" Kurt worried.

"I didn't want you to worry," She explained.

"We don't hide things from each other for any reason...not anymore." He reminded her.

"I wasn't trying to hide it," Jane whispered, "I'm just…ashamed that something so minor is giving me such anxiety."

"It's not minor!" Kurt denied immediately, "You've been through a horrible and traumatic experience and it's going to take time. Next time let me help you."

"How can you help this?" She smiled up at him with trembling lips. He was forever trying to carry her load.

"I could distract you," He suggested, his lips trailing across her cheek and behind her ear. "Help you change the situation into something…that will make you blush."

Looking down at her he smiled when he saw her slightly glazed expression and softly flushed cheeks. That was better…

"Why didn't I think of that?" She finally asked ruefully.

"That's what you've got me for," Kurt reminded her, his hand sliding from high on her back to low on her waist. "That and food, let's eat."

Jane blinked up at him in confusion.

He smiled down at her endearing expression.

"That's cruel," She accused him.

"We have all night," He promised.

Following him back to the kitchen she grabbed some drinks while he pulled out the food.

"Kurt…" Jane looked up at him with a worried expression, "I've been meaning to talk to you about Tasha."

"What about her?" Kurt asked, his jaw firming up.

"You tense up every time she's around," Jane pointed out, her hand sliding over to touch his leg.

"I'm having a little trouble trusting her after finding out what she did." He admitted.

"I think you should talk to her about it," Jane suggested.

"What's there to say?" Kurt insisted, "She betrayed us when you were at your most vulnerable."

"We can just go by what Weitz told us," Jane insisted, "There has to be more to the story."

"You're struggling too," Kurt chided her.

"We're all struggling," Jane admitted, "Patterson and Reade too, but…I've been in Tasha's shoes, it's hard when the people that you care about the most don't trust you."

Kurt reached out to cup Jane's cheek gently, "I love you," He said with a look on his face that made her heart melt.

"I love you too," Jane smiled up at him, "Will you try…for me?"

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "For you."

Her eyes lit up and she all but glowed. He'd do anything to keep her looking up at him like that.

They finished eating and Kurt was putting the trash in the bin when he turned to find Jane standing close behind him.

"Hey," He teased her pulling her the rest of the way until nothing separated them, "What do you want to do now?"

Jane kissed his neck softly and admitted, "I want to try to get back in the closet."

Kurt froze at her soft confession.

"Now, that's cruel," He chided.

"You said you'd distract me…" Jane insisted, her breath giving him the shivers as she trailed her lips behind his ear.

"I can't think when you do that," He insisted.

"Then we better hurry and get this behind us, so we can concentrate on other things." She suggested.

Kurt knew when he was defeated.

Taking her hand he led her over to the closet.

"I'll get in first," He told her, "You control the door. When you want to get out, get out."

Jane nodded. She could feel her heart race as she stood looking at the narrow opening.

Kurt stepped inside and the space seemed almost miniscule.

"We don't have to do this," He told her.

"We do," Jane insisted, "We don't know what we're going to encounter out in the field…if my fear keeps me from doing what needs to be done, then you're at risk. I refuse to put you at risk. If I can't do this, I shouldn't be out there."

Kurt knew better than to argue with her. His wife was stubborn. If he couldn't dissuade her, then he would help her through it. No way would he simply watch her struggle with it on her own.

With a trembling breath Jane stepped into the closet with him.

Kurt smiled down at her in approval. His arms pulled her against him tightly. The space was miniscule with them both crammed in there. She didn't immediately reach for the door, but Kurt didn't comment. Instead he ran his hand low and pulled her intimately against him. Jane realized his distraction was working.

"Is that all you've got?" She asked him huskily.

"Hardly," Kurt denied, His lips beginning their own journey.

Jane felt goose bumps break out at the love bite he gave her behind her ear.

"You smell incredible," He whispered.

"I just showered," Jane admitted.

"Why don't you close the door," Kurt encouraged her, "Then we can get this over with and take this someplace more…comfortable."

Jane met Kurt's eyes before her trembling hand reached for the door. He wanted to stop her, but he knew she was determined.

Pulling the door shut, the room got dark and her trembling increased.

Kurt didn't hesitate, he began to kiss her. Not chaste soothing kisses, voracious, needy kisses. He knew the moment she forgot where she was. The hand that had been clutching his shirt instead traveled low to burrow under it.

His hand traveled down her torso and past the edge of her pants. The warmth against her bare skin had her arching into him.

She didn't know exactly how long they stayed in the closet, but laughed when Kurt was the one that reached for the handle.

Once the door swung open she looked up at him with glazed and dancing eyes, "Can't take the heat?"

"I want to see you," He explained easily.

She gasped when he leaned down and threw her over his shoulder.

"Kurt!" She laughed as he swatted her butt.

As he walked down the hallway toward their bedroom, Jane looked back at where the closet door still stood open. She felt a sense of triumph. She'd done it! She knew she was a long way from being over her fear, but she couldn't wait to find out what other new ways Kurt had to help her face her demons.

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"We were about to send out a search party," Rich chided them when they finally got to work the next morning.

Jane didn't say anything, but Kurt smiled at the flush on her face when she looked over at him.

"Adorable," Rich shook his head and turned back to where Tasha and Patterson were standing stiffly next to each other.

"You've got something?" Kurt looked to Patterson.

"We have a lead on other members of Orion," Patterson admitted, looking over at Jane in concern.

"Why are you looking into them?" Jane had given Patterson the names of the other teams, but hadn't realized she was actively researching them.

"We're trying to find out who else might want you dead," She insisted.

"Don't forget about who wants her alive," Rich pointed out.

"What?" Jane didn't understand.

Kurt knew the team deliberately didn't talk to Jane about the night she was taken so they didn't trigger any bad memories, but was surprised to realize she didn't know about whoever ventilated her grave.

"When we found you," Kurt explained, "Someone had driven a ventilation shaft down to you, it probably saved your life…unless it was there all along?"

"No," Jane assured him, "There was no air shaft."

"We think whoever provided you air, might have also been responsible for Kent's death." Rich explained to Jane.

"Do you know anyone that might have been close enough to help you?" Patterson asked.

"Markos and Cade were the only two I was really close to that weren't in my Unit." Jane denied.

"Cade was a member of Orion?" Kurt asked in surprise.

"He wasn't there for very long," Jane explained, "But yeah."

"What did you find out?" Kurt turned back to Patterson.

"There were six teams of six people, so 36 total. Jane's unit was killed, so that left 30. One team was wiped out in a botched mission, so were down to 24. Our jewel thief Casey is dead. Kent and Scott…well we know their fates, Markos died trying to warn Jane about Sheppard and Cade is…dead."

Jane smiled at her hesitation. Cade would stay "dead" for as long as they could keep him that way.

"That takes us down to 19. Six of those died during active duty. So we had thirteen people to look into." Patterson concluded.

"Do we know where those 13 are?" Kurt worried.

"Six of them are in prison," Patterson confirmed, "Seven people are our target."

"So you're going to what?" Jane demanded, "Bring them in?"

"That's the plan," Patterson confirmed.

"You can't do that," Jane immediately denied.

"One of them might be trying to kill you," Kurt pointed out.

"They aren't going to talk," She insisted, "I would also identify them to anyone monitoring us."

"We can't just sit on this," Rich insisted.

"I think I should go see them," Jane suggested.

"They're potentially trying to kill you," Rich reminded her, "That sounds like a terrible idea."

"They'll talk to me," Jane insisted, "They won't feel the need to hide what they did or cite security clearance."

"So you're going to what?" Rich demanded, "Just walk up to them and say _Hey, remember me? Are you trying to kill me?_"

"No," Jane said patiently, "But if there _is _a government cover up going on, potentially I'm not the only one at risk."

"She has a point," Rich looked over at Kurt with a sympathetic expression.

"That's just another reason to bring them in," Kurt insisted.

Tasha had remained silent through out the exchange, but she finally spoke up.

"Why don't we start running surveillance on them, see if any of them still get together. That way Jane will be safe from them and they'll have someone watching out if they're at risk."

"It's not a bad idea," Patterson admitted.

"Seven people are going to spread us pretty thin," Kurt argued.

"Not all of them live in the area," Patterson denied, "We would have to contact the FBI office nearest them for assistance, but three of them do live within driving distance."

"Let's concentrate on the men close enough to carry out an attack," Kurt agreed, "But make sure if any of the others plan a trip here, we're notified."

"I'm on it," Patterson confirmed.

Looking over at the screen with their three targets information, Tasha offered, "I've got Stewart."

"I'll take Lenard," Jane offered before turning to Kurt, "That leaves you Smith."

Kurt didn't like the sound of this at all, but he knew both Jane and Tasha were more than capable. "Stay on coms," He said.

Jane knew him well enough to know he was struggling. She shot him a reassuring look before they headed out.

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Kurt was threading his coms through his shirt when he looked over at where Tasha was suiting up.

_Talk to her…_ With Jane's request still ringing in his ears he shook his head and turned to his former friend.

"I trusted you," That wasn't what he intended to say, but it was what he thought every time he looked at her.

Tasha closed her eyes before she turned to him.

"I know…I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say.

"How could you have turned Jane's file over to Carter?" Kurt still didn't understand that.

"We had so little information on who she was or where she came from," Tasha tried to explain, "I didn't think it would hurt anything."

"The fact that he offered you money had nothing to do with it?" Kurt scoffed.

"Of course it did!" Tasha insisted, "I was in a bad place and desperate, but when I weighed the risk against the benefit, it seemed like it would help me and not hurt Jane."

"How do I know you won't do something else to benefit yourself?" Kurt asked her.

"Because I learned my lesson," Tasha explained, "After I gave him the file, Carter tried to blackmail me into bugging Jane's apartment."

"He _what?_" Kurt hadn't known about that, "Did you?"

"NO!" Tasha denied, "Of course not. I told him no, but he threatened to tell everyone what I'd done. I knew the only way out was to quit. I was taking my letter of resignation to Mayfair when Carter was reported missing! I was saved by circumstance. I will _never_ hurt you or any of the team ever again."

"If you lie to me or do anything else to put our family in danger," Kurt said seriously, "I will take you down myself."

"I'm not the same person that made those mistakes," Tasha insisted.

Kurt looked at her and realized just how much she'd changed. She wasn't the same person and he could see the same shadows in her eyes that Jane carried.

_I know what it's like when nobody trusts you…_

"I'm glad you're back."

Tasha's eyes welled up with tears and she looked away uncomfortably.

"I won't let you down again," She all but whispered.

Kurt opened his arms and she fell against him with a little sob. Looking over her shoulder he saw Jane watching the two of them with an approving expression. He smiled over at her in response. The look of love on her face made the risk worth it. She was the one that had been the most hurt by Tasha's actions. If she could forgive...how could he not at least try?


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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"Have either of you acquired your target?" Kurt asked through the coms.

"I've got him," Tasha answered back immediately.

"Jane?" Kurt called.

"I'm where he should be," Jane responded, "But no line of sight yet."

"Wait there," Kurt insisted, "He'll recognize you if you go looking."

"So _now_ you want me to wait in the car?" Jane asked with a smile in her voice.

Kurt sat in his own surveillance vehicle too far away from his wife and smiled while shaking his head.

"We all want you to wait in the car," Rich answered for Kurt.

"I have visual," Jane reported a little later.

"Follow at a distance," Kurt insisted, "If you lose him, we can reacquire him later."

"Kurt, I'll be careful," Jane assured him.

"I've got a third party," Tasha warned them. "I'm not the only one tailing him."

"Could it be our mystery guy?" Patterson asked her.

"I don't know, the windows of the car are dark." Tasha responded.

"Fall back," Kurt warned her, "If you've spotted them, they probably spotted you too."

"They'll get away," Tasha argued, "Then we'll be no closer to finding out what's going on with Jane."

"Get me the license plate," Patterson suggested, "We can follow them through video surveillance."

Before Tasha could complete the number, they made their move.

"They're on him," Tasha warned as the car in front of her side swiped their suspect.

Patterson typed in the number Zapata calmly relayed.

"I'm engaging," Tasha warned them.

"No!" Patterson insisted, "Don't engage!"

Tasha hit the back of the mystery car.

"Send backup," Kurt warned Patterson and Rich.

"We're on it!" Patterson assured him.

"What's going on?" Reade entered the lab.

"Zapata's engaging in a high speed game of "you're it"," Rich said while he tried to pull up a visual of the street they were on.

"Put her on speaker," Reade demanded.

"My target has crashed," Tasha said in the coms, "I repeat we need medical."

"What about the mystery vehicle?" Patterson demanded.

"I'm still on them," Zapata confirmed.

Suddenly the passenger window opened and Tasha had barely enough time to swerve before the windshield exploded with the impact of the rounds fired.

"Shots fired!" Tasha reported, the sound of the wind making her hard to hear.

One of the rounds clearly hit her right front tire and Tasha knew she was out of the race.

"Tire's blown," She said in frustration, "Suspects are heading east on Madison."

Reade turned toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Patterson asked his retreating back,

"I'm going to get Zapata," Reade explained, "Remind her how we do things here at the FBI."

"Uh oh," Rich looked at Patterson, "I wouldn't want to be what's her name right now."

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Jane was quietly tailing her suspect as she listened to Zapata's situation. It was unlikely that Stewart was involved if someone just tried to kill him. That meant that it was a good possibility that either Lenard or Smith were involved somehow.

"Kurt," Jane worried, "Is your target stationary or on the move?"

"Stationary," Kurt advised, "We can rule out either of these men being the ones to attack Stewart."

"And the others are not in the area," Jane confirmed.

"So either Zapata just encountered our Good Samaritan," Kurt suggested, "Or the people responsible for the Orion program are doing clean up."

"None of this makes any sense," Jane worried.

Lenard pulled to the side of the road.

"My suspect has stopped," Jane said as she passed him and pulled into the next street.

"Location?" Rich demanded.

"25th and Elm" Jane reported back.

"I have visual," Rich assured her.

"What's he doing?" Jane wondered.

"Currently just sitting in his car," Rich reported.

"Is he waiting for someone?" Jane wondered.

"Well," Rich said ironically, "He's not waiting for traffic to get better, the streets are a mess."

"No kidding," Jane said as she tried to loop her way back behind the suspect.

"Wait…wait," Rich said excitedly, "Someone is approaching the vehicle."

"Any ID?" Kurt questioned.

"No," Patterson denied, "He's wearing a baseball cap."

"He's inside the car," Rich confirmed, "The car is moving…"

"I've got them," Jane assured them, seeing the vehicle pulling away.

"Don't get too close," Kurt warned her, "We don't want to tip him off."

Jane followed the car as it headed out of the city.

"We're going to lose visual," Patterson warned Jane.

"I've got them," She assured them.

Once they cleared the city, the car began to accelerate. It took Jane's full concentration to keep them in sight without giving away her position.

"I need an Agent to cover Smith," Kurt told Patterson.  
"One will be there in five minutes," Patterson assured him.

"Jane I'm coming to back you up," Kurt insisted.

"Kurt," Jane tried to sooth him, "I've got this. They aren't getting away from me."  
"For all we know" He worried, "They know your tailing them and are leading you in to an ambush."

She hadn't thought of that.

"Do you want me to call off surveillance?" Dr. Coleman's words about taking steps to ensure Kurt's emotional wellbeing still in the forefront of her mind

"No," Kurt assured her, "Just don't engage without backup."

"I won't," Jane assured him.

It was only five minutes later when the car turned into the drive of an abandoned warehouse.

"We have our destination," Jane warned the team.

"We've got it," Patterson assured her, "You're GPS location has been sent to backup. Kurt's still ten minutes out."

"I hope that whatever they're doing in there takes longer than ten minutes," Jane worried.

Six minutes later she could hear the sound of shots being fired.

"Shots fired inside the warehouse," She reported.

"DO NOT ENTER THAT WAREHOUSE," Kurt warned her, "Wait for backup."

"Copy," She confirmed. It went against everything in her to wait, but it wasn't just about her anymore…

She suddenly caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning she could only glimpse the man that was leaving the scene.

There was something about him….it was almost like….

Suddenly something hit the hood of her car. Startled she turned back to see a very bloody Lenard slumping down leaving streaks of blood down the hood.

"Help me," He coughed, blood running out of his mouth.

Kurt screeched into the lot, just as Jane opened her door to get out of the vehicle.

"You okay?" He worried as they converged on Lenard.  
"I'm good," Jane assured him, kneeling down next to the dying man.

"YOU!" He gasped, his hand clutching her arm.

"Help is on the way," Jane assured him.

The man reached for a knife connected to his belt.

Even as he raised the weapon, Kurt easily subdued him. Jane stepped back out of range.

Lenord died before they could even process his actions.

"He was trying to kill me," Jane turned to look at Kurt in shock.

"We need to find the man that was with him," Kurt worried.

Jane drew her gun and looked over her shoulder. The man was gone.

"I think he got away." She worried.

He warned her, "Get back in the car."

She didn't argue. She wasn't sure what was going on or who was behind it, but she didn't doubt she was somehow right in the middle.

Kurt walked over to lean down to look at her. Just then the warehouse behind them was leveled with a massive explosion that left no doubt that any evidence inside was now beyond their grasp.

Jane instinctively reached out and pulled Kurt inside the vehicle with her. He didn't resist and as the world shook around them he shielded her against his chest.

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The man smiled at the predictable reaction of Kurt Weller. If it weren't for the fact that Weller was confined by the rules of law, he might be successful in keeping his wife alive. When you're facing an enemy with no rules and no conscious, a little more ruthlessness is required. It's a good thing she had him.

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You want to explain to me what you were doing?" Reade demanded looking over at Tasha with a serious expression.

"I was doing my job," Tasha countered, "The same as everyone else."

"I know you're used to being on your own and the CIA doesn't follow the same rules as everyone else," Reade argued, "But this isn't how we do things. You had no backup and couldn't even verify how many assailants were in the car. You shouldn't have engaged."

"If I hadn't," Tasha argued, "Stewart would be dead."

"We don't even know if Stewart is a part of all this," Reade argued, "He might be as dirty as the one's trying to kill him."

"What's this really about?" Tasha demanded.

"You could have been killed," Reade said bluntly. "You can't keep taking these stupid risks and rushing in without backup. The FBI wants you back, but if you can't follow procedure, you're gone."

Tasha turned away from him. The FBI might want her back, but Reade clearly didn't. Her chest ached as she realized just how badly she screwed everything up.

"Understood," She said impassively.

Reade shot her a worried look she didn't see. The remainder of the ride was completed in silence.

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"There's nothing left," Patterson reported later that evening.

"What about the bullet that killed Lenard?" Kurt asked her.

"He wasn't shot," Patterson denied, "He was stabbed."

"But I heard the shots!" Jane protested.

"Lenard might have tried to shoot his assailant," Patterson suggested.

"Did you see anything Jane?" Rich asked her.

"I saw someone in the woods, walking away." She admitted.

"Did you recognize him?" Patterson asked her.

"No," Jane denied, "He was too far away, but there was something about him. He was familiar."

"Did he see you?" Rich worried.

"I don't know," Jane admitted, "He didn't look toward me…"

"It's a good thing you didn't go into the warehouse," Reade suggested, "If you had, the man that was trying to save you might have been the one to kill you, if that was even him."

"That wouldn't have happened," Patterson denied.

"Why?" Reade asked her.

"The warehouse was remotely detonated, it wasn't on a timer." She explained.

"So you think he was watching?" Reade demanded.

"I'm sure he was," Patterson said, "It wasn't until after Weller had Jane get back into the car that the bomb went off."

"Well, I'm completely creeped out," Rich told them.

Weller wasn't feeling great about the situation either.

"What's the status on Stewart?" Reade asked Patterson.

"Alive, but not conscious," She reported.

"So another dead end." Reade said in frustration.

"Is Agent Simpson still tailing Smith?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," Reade confirmed.

"I think we should bring him in," Kurt said seriously.

"I'll have him picked up," Reade agreed, "Before anything happens to him."

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Rocky Smith sat in holding saying nothing.

The team watched him through the glass.

"How do we approach this?" Reade looked at Kurt.

"I'll talk to him," Jane was the one that answered.

"Let's go," Kurt didn't like it, but they needed answers.

"No," Jane denied, "Let me go alone."

"Jane…" Weller shook his head.

"If he's not a part of whatever this is," Jane reminded him, "He's going to think I'm dead."

"She's right," Rich agreed looking over at Kurt.

"He's cuffed to the table," Patterson insisted.

Jane didn't say anything, she knew being cuffed wasn't a real impediment and Kurt knew it too.

"I'll be careful," She reached out to reassure him.

"I'll be right outside the door," Kurt didn't know who he was trying to reassure Jane or himself.

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When the door opened and Jane stepped into the room, Smith's composure crumbled.

"Remi…but, you're dead!" He exclaimed.

Jane walked over and pulled out the chair across from him.

"They tried," Jane admitted, "Got the rest of my Unit."

"What's going on?" Smith demanded.

"Someone is trying to kill me," Jane admitted, "And I'm not the only one. Kent, Sullivan and Lenard are all dead, Stewart is in the hospital and you're here."

"This place is starting to look better and better." He said looking at her. "And none of those men are a big loss."

"I think it might be in your own best interest to tell me whatever you know," Jane suggested.

"I don't know anything," Smith told her, "I know that Kent and Sullivan hung out, but once I was out the last thing I wanted to do was to have anything to do with any of them."

"So what are you up to now?" Jane asked him.

"Sorry," Smith smiled at her, "That ship has sailed. I've got me a wife and little girl."

"I'm sure she's very lucky," Jane said sarcastically, "The others didn't die in a good way, I'd hate for her to become a widow."

"How is it that you're still alive?" He demanded, "For all I know you're behind everything."

"If I was," Jane pointed out, "You'd already be dead."

"This is how you ask for help?" Smith chided.

"I don't need your help," She insisted, "I have someone watching my back. You're the one on your own."

"I wasn't the one they tried to kill," He reminded her, "If any of us are out in the cold, it's you."

"So if you're still in, who holds your leash?" Jane didn't even bat a lash.

"There's no leash," He denied.

"The more you talk, the less I care if you make it," Jane warned him.

"So you're doing all of this for me?" Smith said doubtfully.

"No," Jane denied, "You benefit by default, but if you care about your wife and daughter, you might want to stop posturing and start telling us what you know."  
Smith looked away and said nothing.

"You can't hold me," Smith insisted, "I didn't do anything wrong."

Jane stood up, "You want to be on your own? Fine. You won't be a big loss either."

Jane walked over and the door open revealing Kurt.

"Wait!" Smith called to her.

She met Kurt's eyes and he inclined his head in respect.

Turning she looked at Smith, "Are you ready to talk?"

"I'll tell you what I know." He agreed, "It's not much, but I want you to get my wife and daughter someplace safe."

Kurt stepped into the room, "Start talking."

Rich looked over at the others, "Is there anything she can't do?"

"Not yet," Reade smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Jane tossed her head looking around desperately.

She could see someone in the distance, but no matter how quickly she moved, she couldn't catch them.

She needed to get them…

"Wait!" She called desperately.

Her hand reached out but something was holding her back.

"NO!" She cried out, feeling suddenly bereft.

"Jane….Jane!" Kurt called to her.

She jerked awake with tears still on her face.

"Are you okay?" He worried, pulling her against him.

"I…I was dreaming," Jane said, apology in her voice, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"What were you dreaming?" Kurt worried.

"I…I don't know," She said in confusion.

"Come here," Kurt eased her back down and pulled her against him.

Jane snuggled even closer.

"You're cold," He worried, rubbing his hand up and down her arm in concern.

"I feel frozen," She whispered.

"You think it was a memory?" Kurt worried.

"I don't know." She didn't want to remember.

"Can you go back to sleep?" Kurt asked her.

"I think so," Jane assured him.

Kurt began to run his hand up and down her back soothingly. He knew the moment she succumbed. He kept up his gentle administrations for several more minutes taking comfort in her peaceful slumber.

Everyone kept telling him to give Jane space to find her new normal, but watching her struggle caused his heart to ache. All he wanted was to take away the things that were hurting her and give her the peace she'd worked so hard to earn.

Even from beyond the grave Roman and Sheppard still were grasping at her and trying to bring her down. How could he protect her from the specters of her past? Would she even want him to?

Kurt finally closed his eyes and joined her in sleep. With his arms holding her close and his heat keeping the cold away Jane slept peacefully the rest of the night.

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"We have a problem," Rich warned them the next morning.

"What's going on?" Jane worried, looking over to see Reade's office full of people.

"The CIA found out Tasha is back working with us," Rich explained, "They're demanding that she be taken into custody and turned over to them."

"How can they not have any fail-safes in the event that one of the handler's gets injured or dies?" Jane demanded.

"They do have them," Patterson explained walking up to them, "That's why they don't believe her. Keaton didn't know who he could trust, so he didn't tell anyone."

"What's Reade going to do?" Kurt asked, looking back over at the office with a scowl.

"He's trying to hold them off," Rich explained, "But they have a warrant. If he doesn't honor that, they're both in trouble."

"We can't let them take her," Jane insisted, her eyes clouded with memories.

"They won't torture her if she just tells them what she knows," Patterson insisted. She still struggled with the fact that Tasha kept so many secrets from them.

"That's not technically true," She denied, "They won't believe her."

"How can they ever know if _anyone_ is telling the truth?" Rich asked them.

"I guess they figure after enough torture, if the story stays the same and fits their narrative, they believe them," Kurt suggested.

"I told them for three months I didn't remember anything and that never stopped them," Jane denied.

Kurt closed his eyes at that reminder.

"Can't we cite the ongoing investigation and label her a witness?" Kurt asked Patterson.

"That could work," Patterson agreed, "But the interim Assistant Director of the CIA is trying to make a name for herself. She wants that job permanently, so the only way that's going to happen is to get some wins under her belt."

"Taking down a former CIA Agent as a spy would be a big win for her," Rich agreed, "Being responsible for exposing that agent's cover is a loss. I don't see her backing down too easily."

"Even if we can prove she's wrong?" Jane argued.

"How are we going to do that?" Rich looked at her expectantly.

Jane remained silent.

"Exactly," Rich pointed out, "Without Keaton, Tasha is going down."

Jane felt the guilt rise. The fact that Keaton had been shot trying to protect her hadn't sat well with her, but for Tasha to have to pay for the same mistake made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

"Tasha's actually not why I came to find you," Patterson admitted.

"What could possibly be more important right now?" Jane asked her.

"We have a new lead on Roman's data caches." Patterson admitted.

"Right now?" Rich asked in surprise.

"We need something to bring down HCI Global. This new cache might have something that can help Tasha." Patterson argued.

"Where is it?" Jane worried.

"Right here in New York," Patterson assured her.

"Then we'll go and get it," Kurt said with determination, "Hold them off as long as you can."

"We will," Patterson assured them, looking over at Reade's office with a worried expression.

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Jane, Kurt and their team of four other agents entered the building quietly.

"I think this might be a little convenient," Jane worried.

"You think it's a setup?" Kurt looked over at her.

"How many of Roman's hiding spots have been in a place even remotely close to home?" Jane looked over at him.

Kurt frowned as the truth of her words sank in.

"We're just over halfway through finding them, it stands to reason some of them could be in New York," Kurt suggested, "But be alert."

Jane nodded her compliance and the team moved in.

Separating in to groups of two, they fanned out looking for anything that would lead them to Roman's hiding place.

"Jane," Kurt called to her, pointing to the graffiti tree symbol painted on the wall.

They shared a look.

As Kurt went to step closer, Jane called to him, "WAIT!"

It was too late. Kurt fell through the trap door partially hidden by a tarp.

Rushing over the door closed before she could see if he was okay.

"Kurt…do you copy?" Jane demanded.

The ensuing silence made her stomach twist.

"What's going on?" Patterson demanded.

"Kurt fell through a trap door in the floor. He's not responding. Is there a basement?" Jane demanded.

"It's not so much a basement," Rich warned her, "Its a tube like shaft that leads down into the cities infrastructure."

"How far down does it go?" Jane demanded.

"At least 60 feet," Patterson told her, looking over at Rich in dismay.

"I'm going in," Jane told them.

"NO!" Rich insisted, "If he's unconscious at the bottom, _you_ could be the one that kills him!"

"How else to I get down there?" Jane was becoming impatient.

"There's a ventilation shaft," Rich assured her, "It's to the right of your location…but Jane, its small."

"How small?" She demanded.

"It will be a tight squeeze even for you." Rich admitted.

Patterson turned off her coms, "Jane has claustrophobia," She hissed at Rich.

"It's the only way down there," Rich insisted.

Turning back on her coms, Patterson said hesitantly, "Jane…"

Jane looked down at the narrow opening and felt like she was going to throw up. She felt her head swim and her hands shake, but Kurt was down there…and might be hurt. It was the deciding factor.

"I'm entering the shaft now," Jane reported back.

Ten feet inside the narrow opening, Jane lost communications. It went from looking like a coffin to feeling like one. Alone inside her mind was not a place she could afford to be right now. Taking a few deep breaths she tried to mentally overcome her growing panic.

She came to a fork in the shaft and hesitated. The last thing she wanted to do was get lost in these tunnels. It was doubtful that the team she'd left behind would be able to fit in the narrow opening she'd entered. The tunnel widened somewhat and she was able to get off her stomach and start crawling. It wasn't much, but it was enough to hold the darkness at bay. Kurt was down here, and he could be hurt. That was the only thing that kept pushing her forward.

Then it happened, the light she was using began to flicker on and off before it abruptly died. Just like that Jane was back in that coffin. Just as her panic began to consume her mind, she looked up and realized there was a light coming from the distance. She began to methodically crawl toward that dim light. She didn't realize how erratic her breathing had become. Fighting tears she concentrated on getting to Kurt.

Just when she didn't think she could stand it even a moment longer she looked up and froze. There at the end of the shaft was…Roman.

Blinking she began to shake her head. She was hallucinating again. Had the zip returned? The fear of the tunnel suddenly took a back seat to the possibility that she hadn't been cured at all…

Before she could say anything she heard it, "JANE!"

It was Kurt! Looking over toward where the sound came from she realized there was a side tunnel that led to an opening. When she looked back the tunnel in front of her was empty once more. She knew Roman wasn't real. No way could he have ever fit through the narrow opening she'd come in through.

She turned toward where she knew Kurt was. As she neared the end of the shaft, she realized that there was a cover over the opening. Pushing against it with her hands had no effect. She needed to use her feet, but the shaft was too narrow to turn around.

"Kurt!" She called out, "Can you hear me?"

"Jane?" Kurt responded back.

"Are you okay?" She worried.

"I'm fine," He assured her, "Where are you?"

"I'm in the vent," She explained, "I can't get the cover off."

Kurt looked up, but the vent was too high for him to reach. He felt his adrenalin kick in when he realized just how small the opening was.

"Jane," Kurt tried to reassure her, "It's going to be okay."

"I'm trapped," She hated the tremor in her voice when she admitted that.

"No," Kurt insisted calmly, "You're not. You have air and I'm right here. We're going to get you out."

"Can you pull on the vent from that side?" Jane all but pleaded.

"No," Kurt denied, "It's too high."

"Kurt…" Jane was losing it. Now that she knew he was okay, she suddenly wasn't.

"Can you go back the way you came?" Kurt urged her.

"I don't have a light," Jane denied, "It died."

Kurt looked around the room for another opening. There wasn't one.

"I'm going to scoot back to the last fork," Jane finally told him, "I should be able to turn around there so that I can push with my feet."

"How far is it?" Kurt worried.

"Not far," Jane insisted, her hands trembling.

Kurt kept up a running commentary while Jane suited actions to words. She hung on his words like a security blanket.

"Move," She urged him when she'd finally gotten into position.

Kurt did as she requested.

Her first kick was laced with desperation and the vent cover gave half way. Two more desperate kicks and it fell down the twelve feet to the floor below.

"Jane…wait!" Kurt urged her when her legs appeared in the opening. "It's pretty far down."

"Move," She urged him, "Anything is better than being in this hole!"

"Okay," He encouraged her, "Come on, I've got you."

Positioning himself at the best angle to catch her he waited. She didn't make him wait long.

Hanging from the opening briefly to take in the fall, she let go without fanfare.

He caught her against him and they both went down, none the worse for wear.

"Are you okay?" They both demanded of the other.

Suddenly Kurt was smiling.

"I'm fine," He assured her, "You did it! You faced your fear."

"I guess losing you is a bigger fear," She admitted, looking down into his face with a tender expression.

Leaning in he kissed her, his arms tight around her.

"I know that feeling," He shuddered.

It was at that moment Jane knew she should admit to seeing Roman in the narrow shafts, but she didn't. Resting her head against his chest she just couldn't make herself admit that she might still be sick. She knew that this would devastate him and she knew she couldn't keep it from him forever, but she was determined to find out for sure first…

"I found Roman's cache," Kurt admitted.

"Now we just need to find a way out of here…" Jane worried.

"There's a door in the North end of the room," Kurt explained, "But I don't have any door charges."

"I do," Jane assured him, reluctantly climbing to her feet. "I wonder where it goes…"

"Well," Kurt looked over at her, "Let's find out together."


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Okay, I posted Chapter 8 this morning and now I'm posting Chapter 9 this evening because I know I won't have time tomorrow morning. Chapter 9 is for Wednesday… :) (I'm sure you're going to wait until tomorrow to read it...right?) :D

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Reade had gone through a gauntlet of emotions in the last few hours. It had started with annoyance, turned to anger, blossomed into frustration and was currently bordering on panic.

He had done everything he could think of to keep Tasha out of CIA hands, but he was losing this battle and he knew it.

"Let them take me," Tasha finally spoke up in the silence.

"No," Reade wouldn't be swayed, not even by her.

"You're going to lose your job," She insisted.

"Better to lose that, than you," He said bluntly.

"Reade…" Tasha didn't know what to say to that.

"Kurt and Jane are retrieving one of Roman's data caches right now," Reade explained, "Help me hold them off at least until they get back."

"What do you want me to do?" Tasha hated that she'd put him in this position.

"Fight _with_ me for a change," Reade said in frustration, "Stop trying to do everything on your own."

"Stop trying to save the World," Tasha chided him.

"I'm not trying to save the World. I'm trying to save you. That's all I've ever tried to do…" He said in frustration.

"I'm not your responsibility," Tasha argued.

"No," Reade agreed, "You're my partner, my family. I don't turn my back on family."

Tasha had to turn away to hide her reaction to his statement. She'd thought she'd killed any feelings he might have had for her. To find out now, that she hadn't, that he still cared made the possibility of being taken away that much harder to accept.

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"Are we glad to see the two of you," Rich greeted Jane and Kurt when they entered the lab.

Kurt passed the new drive over to Patterson.

"Why can't he have simply left them in a safety deposit box like a normal person?" Rich complained.

Jane's continued silence had Patterson studying her in concern.

Her forced smile when she noticed only concerned her more.

It didn't take long to hack into the files.

"This is amazing," Rich said with a relieved laugh when he realized what was on them.

"Amazing," Patterson agreed, but with a frown.

"Don't be a negative Nellie," Rich chided her, "This is just what we need to keep Zapata out of custody."

"It's great," Patterson agreed, "Let's print it out and get it over to Reade."

"I'm on it," Rich turned away.

"Kurt," Patterson looked over at him, "Can you make sure he gets everything we need?"  
"Sure," Kurt agreed, "Jane and I…"

"No," Patterson denied, "I need a word with Jane."

Looking worried, but accepting, Kurt went to join Rich.

"What's going on?" Patterson asked Jane with a concerned expression.

"Something…happened," Jane admitted.

"What?"

"While I was in the tunnels," Jane whispered, "I saw something."

"What'd you see?" Patterson encouraged her.

"I saw Roman," Jane said in such a low voice Patterson had to lean in to hear her.

When she realized what she said, Patterson froze.

"Do you think your hallucinations are back?" She worried.

"They have to be," Jane insisted, "Roman's dead. In South Africa…I held him for a long time. There was no way anyone could have revived him. I know what dead looks like…he was dead."

"We need to run another test," Patterson worried, "Do you want me to get Kurt?"

"No," Jane said quickly, "I haven't told him."

"Why not?" Patterson demanded.

"What if it isn't the zip poisoning?" Jane asked her, "What if it was just because it felt like I was back in that hole in the ground? What if it was just me…losing what was left of my mind? Until we know for sure if it's back, I don't want to do that to him."

Remembering how devastated and fragile Kurt had been during Jane's decline, Patterson understood her concern.

"Then let's get some answers," She looked at Jane with determination.

"Thank you," Jane reached out and rested her hand on Patterson's arm.

Pulling her into a tight embrace, Patterson closed her eyes tightly. They had no other avenue to save Jane, if the zip poisoning was back, the outcome this time could be one nobody was prepared for.

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Kurt looked back over his shoulder at where Jane and Patterson were huddled together. Something was wrong, he knew it.

When Patterson hugged Jane tightly any lingering doubt disappeared.

"What's with you?" Rich demanded, "This is a good thing."

"Something is going on." Kurt worried.

"Yeah," Rich agreed, "We're saving Zapata."

"With Jane," Kurt clarified.

"Well," Rich pointed out, "She did just climb through a reincarnation of her biggest fear, so there is that…"

Kurt wanted to think that's all it was, but he knew there was something more going on.

Looking at Kurt's worried frown, Rich finished printing up the papers Reade would need. "Here, take these to Reade, I'll see what's going on."

Kurt reluctantly did as Rich suggested.

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"Move out of the way," CIA Agent Sabrina Larren warned Reade.

"No," He refused.

Zapata was currently in cuffs and surrounded by CIA Agents who were forcibly attempting to remove her from his office.

Kurt pulled opened the door and took in the scene with a glance.

"Special Agent Weller," Larren warned him, "This is none of your concern."

"On the contrary," Weller denied, "I have something you really need to see."

Lareen reluctantly took out the papers Weller handed her. Reade met Kurt's eyes and what he saw there made the tension in his shoulders loosen.

"How do I know you didn't just fabricate these?" Lareen demanded.

"We're the FBI," Kurt reminded her, "There are rules."

Lareen knew of Weller's reputation, it was beyond reproach. She could make a case for Reade being emotionally compromised, but if she discarded Kurt Weller and the evidence he'd just presented her…there would be no coming back from that.

"Don't make me regret this," She warned Weller, even as she gave the nod that resulted in the cuffs being removed from Tasha.

Once she was gone Reade looked over at Weller.

"I'm starting to not like this job either," He admitted.

Kurt smiled and clapped him on the shoulder, "Better you than me."

"What was in the papers?" Tasha worried.

"Keaton left the details of your investigation on an air-gapped computer." Kurt explained.

"How did you find that out?" Tasha was standing very still.

"It was one of Roman's data caches," Kurt admitted.

Tasha frowned, but didn't say anything.

"Let's get back to bringing down HCI Global," Reade said with his relief apparent.

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"Why are you taking her blood?" Rich demanded.

It was a good thing that both Patterson and Jane were not easily startled.

"None of your business," Patterson said bluntly.

"Oh my God!" Rich pointed at them, "You're testing to see if the zip poisoning is back…aren't you?"

"Keep it down," Patterson shushed him.

"Are you sick?" Rich demanded to Jane, "Headaches? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Two," Jane said in exasperation.

She rolled her eyes when he had to look over to count them for himself.

"It's just a precaution." She insisted.

"You're lying," He accused her.

"Why would you say that?" Patterson scowled at him.

"Because you are!" He insisted.

"One of the symptoms came back," Jane reluctantly admitted.

"Which one?" Rich placed his hand on her forehead.

"I never had a fever…" She reminded him.

"You're not…" He took a step back, "Remi…are you?"

"No," Jane denied, "I just thought I saw… Roman."

"The hallucinations?" He protested, "But those don't come on until the zip has neared your brain stem!"

"Thanks for the recap," Patterson glared at him.

Realizing that he wasn't exactly making anything better, Rich zipped it. Instead he waited until Patterson completed drawing the blood and then threw his arm around Jane and pulled her against him.

"It's going to be okay," He assured her looking suddenly weepy.

Jane hugged him back and insisted, "I'm sure it is."

"Why are you even here?" Patterson asked in exasperation as Jane tried to reassure Rich. "You were supposed to take those papers over to Reade."

"Because _he knows!_" Rich insisted.

"Who knows?" Patterson asked in confusion.

"Weller," Rich said in agitation, "He knows somethings wrong…you need to tell him!"

"Tell me what?" Kurt asked as he, Reade and Tasha entered the lab.

Jane and Patterson shared a pointed look.

Kurt looked down to see the blood that Patterson was holding and any blood in his own face drained away.

"What's going on?" He demanded stiffly.

Jane had wanted to spare him the waiting.

"I asked Patterson to make sure the zip poisoning is still out of my system," Jane admitted, moving over to Kurt's side.

"Why?" He worried, his arms going around her protectively.

"When I was in the tunnel," She looked away, "I thought I saw Roman."

"But..he's dead," Reade protested.

"I know," Jane agreed.

"You think the hallucinations are back," Kurt realized.

"Why else would I see him?" Jane worried.

"Maybe he was a ghost!" Rich suggested, "I've heard stories where ghosts visit loved ones when they're in peril or great risk to help guide them."

"A Ghost?" Tasha asked skeptically.

"Would you rather it be something else?" Rich asked her with a glare.

Tasha shook her head sharply, "It could have been a ghost."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kurt looked down at Jane with a hurt expression.

"I didn't want you to worry if it was just some kind of stress induced desperation." Jane admitted.

He understood, but it didn't make the possibility any more difficult to face.

"How long until you know something?" He asked Patterson.

"Just a couple of hours." She assured him.

"Why don't the two of you go home," Reade suggested, "We will call you the minute the results are in."

Kurt nodded without speaking. Taking Jane's hand they headed toward the elevators while the others watched them with identical expressions of concern.

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Kurt closed the door to their apartment and turned to face Jane.

"We don't know," She reassured him.

"Why would you think you have to protect me from this?" He finally asked the question that had been plaguing him on the drive home.

"Dr. Coleman reminded me that I had as much a responsibility to take care of you as you do me." Jane explained.

"No," Kurt held up his hand to stop her, "We agreed not to keep things from each other for any reason."

"How am I supposed to watch out for you?" Jane worried.

Kurt closed the distance between them and pulled her close, "By being brutally honest," He explained.

"How does that help you?" She didn't understand.

"Because," He tried to explain, "When you keep things from me, something could be wrong at any time and I'm always looking for signs. If you tell me when things are actually wrong, then I can enjoy the times when things are right without always being hyper-vigilant."

That made sense to her.

"Even if the truth has no good outcome?" Jane worried.

"What do you mean?" Kurt's arms tightened. _Was she having more symptoms?_

"I'm either dying…or crazy," Jane said painfully.

"You aren't either," Kurt insisted. "Jane you were facing you're biggest fear, it would be natural for you to need someone to lean on."

"Then why Roman?" Jane demanded, "Why not you?"

"I don't know," Kurt admitted, "Roman was the person you leaned on all of your life…it's only natural you seek him out in your darkest moments. We can talk to Dr. Coleman about it next time we meet her."

Jane just nodded her head wearily.

"Come sit with me," He led her over to the couch. "Are you hungry?"

"Are you?" Jane countered.

"Not really," Kurt admitted.

"I'm too nervous to eat," Jane whispered.

Sitting down he waited for her to drape her legs across him and pulled her just that much closer. Wrapping his arms around her he felt her rest her head on his chest. They waited like that, no words necessary.

When Kurt's phone began to ring he felt her stiffen. He pushed speaker when he saw it was Patterson.

"What'd you find?" He worried.

"Nothing," Patterson assured him with a smile in her voice, "There was no trace of the zip poisoning."

Jane met Kurt's eyes with a relieved expression and huge smile.

Shaking his head in relief, Kurt leaned in to kiss Jane on the lips.

"Thanks," He told Patterson before hanging up.

"You're fine," He told her with a smile.

"We're fine," Jane insisted.

Pulling her all the way on his lap he started to laugh, "We're fine…"


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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"If I'm not sick again," Jane insisted, "Why did I see Roman?"

Dr. Coleman shook her head, "What were you doing when you saw him?"

"Climbing through a ventilation shaft looking for Kurt," Jane admitted.

"I don't think it's that mysterious," Dr. Coleman tried to assure her, "You'd just seen your husband fall, you didn't know if he was hurt, you were facing a situation that was very traumatic and your mind reached out for the one person from your past you always relied on."

"He was so real," Jane said with a faraway look.

"Describe him," Dr. Coleman encouraged her. She knew the tempestuous relationship they shared and wanted insight into how Jane looked back on what happened.

"My light had gone out," Jane explained, "But I could see one in the distance…I started crawling toward it. Then, just when I thought I couldn't go on any more, I looked up and there he was."

"Surrounded by the light?" The Doctor confirmed.

"Yes," Jane frowned, "But…"

"What?" Kurt worried, taking her hand.

"He still had his scar." She admitted even more confused.

"Why would she see him like that?" Kurt worried.

"That's what he looked like when they were there for each other," Dr. Coleman explained, "When his scar was gone, he was her enemy. The Roman she could rely on, the one that would die or kill for her was flawed physically, but solidly on her side. The Roman that tried to kill her and turned on the team was physically normal, but in her mind and heart untrustworthy. When she needed an ally, she looked for the one that was always there for her, not the one she couldn't trust."

"Why didn't my mind reach for Kurt?" Jane was starting to feel better about the sighting, but that one element still bothered her.

Kurt didn't say anything, but he wondered too.

"Because you were in the shaft trying to find your husband. You didn't know if he was dead or alive and you wanted someone to help you find him. Logically Kurt couldn't help you do that, so you went to the only other partner you've ever relied on completely." Dr. Coleman suggested.

Kurt felt some of his worry and hurt melt away.

Jane was starting to look less traumatized too.

"So," Jane looked over to Dr. Coleman," Do you think this will happen again?"

"It's unlikely," She admitted, "But if it does, we'll spend some time trying to delve into what triggers it."

"Is she okay to be in the field?" Kurt couldn't believe after being worried that Dr. Coleman might sideline Jane, he was the one asking that question. The one thing that worried him more than Jane not being with him in the field, was Jane pushing herself too hard and getting hurt.

"I don't see why not," Dr. Coleman reassured Kurt, "She's faced overwhelming trauma and was still able to perform the mission."

"Being able to do it is not the same thing as it being okay for her," Kurt argued, "As important as the mission is, her wellbeing is more important."

"I don't doubt you," Dr. Coleman smiled, "And if I thought her sitting it out would be beneficial, then I would tell you. Knowing Jane and her training and history, I worry that taking her out of the field would be even more difficult for her than having to face what most of us couldn't overcome. Especially if you're still out there without her."

"It would," Jane immediately agreed.

Kurt looked down into her eyes and could see the truth there. Bringing her hand up to his lips he kissed it as the Doctor watched on with a little smile.

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Patterson looked over as Tasha entered the lab, but she didn't say anything.

Tasha stood awkwardly before walking forward.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday," She told Patterson.

"You're welcome," Rich called from across the room.

"It's our job," Patterson brushed off her gratitude.

Tasha knew she deserved that. She had kept so much from Patterson. She'd put her job before her friend and she hated that reality. It hadn't been a conscious decision. Now, looking back at it from Patterson's perspective, she knew she might not ever forgive her. She also knew she didn't deserve her forgiveness.

Hiding Bordon had been bad enough, but she thought that making sure she was the one that kept him in check would make up for it. It hadn't. When she'd agreed to go undercover, Reade was engaged to Meagan and leaving had been her only out. If she'd only known…but none of that mattered now. Her motivations didn't change their reality. She had betrayed and abandoned them.

"Can I help you with anything?" Tasha asked.

"Not really," Patterson denied.

The door to the lab opened and Rich wanted to breathe a sigh of relief when the tension broke.

"Was there anything on Roman's data cache that would help us bring down HCI Global?" Reade asked.

"We're still filtering through the information," Patterson told him.

"We need this to be our priority," Reade insisted, "Who knows what Madelyn's next move will be."

Tasha felt that dig, even if she knew that wasn't his intention.

"Well," Patterson insisted, "There is a lot of data to go through."

"Plus," Rich reminded them, "We're still trying to discover the identity of Jane's mystery "super soldier".

Watching him make those air quotes Patterson started to connect the things that were bothering her…

"Patterson?" Reade repeated her name.

"Sorry," She looked over at him blankly, "What?"

"Are you okay?" Reade worried.

"Yeah," She insisted, even as her fingers began to type, "I'm just trying to figure something out…"

"Leave her alone," Rich warned them, "She's a real diva when you interrupt her thought process."

When even that didn't get a rise out of her, Reade knew when to give her some space.

"Keep me informed," He told Rich as he turned back toward the door.

"What do you want me to do?" Tasha asked him before he could leave.

"Why don't you get with Jane and Kurt," He suggested, "They should be just finishing up their session with Dr. Coleman, see if you can start researching Madeline's past, find out where she might be holed up."

"Of course," Tasha agreed heading back toward the bullpen.

Patterson watched her go with a troubled expression.

"Why didn't you put her to work down here?" Rich demanded once they were alone again, "We are literally drowning in things to do!"

"I don't trust her." Patterson admitted.

"You do realize that at one time I was a dark web super villain…right?" He reminded her.

"But you never pretended to be anything else," Patterson told him, "I knew what to expect from you. With Tasha…"

"You trusted her and she let you down," Rich finished for her.

"Twice," Patterson agreed.

"Reade has made her a part of this team," Rich said, serious for once, "Not working with her really isn't an option. If Reade trusts her again…maybe we should too."

"Reade cares about Zapata," Patterson argued, "He might not be thinking clearly."

"You might not be either," Rich said gently.

Patterson acknowledge that he was right, she just didn't know how to get past all the hurt and anger she still felt.

"You know," He offered, "I here there's this new therapist that's pretty good."

"I'll pass," Patterson denied, "Bordon cured me of my trust."

"Well," Rich smiled over at her, "You still have me."

"Thanks Rich," Patterson smiled.

"How hot to I look right now?" He asked her.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head and got back to work.

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Jane walked into the bullpen and watched as Kurt headed toward Reade's office. Seeing Zapata sitting at the desk next to the one she normally used, Jane joined her.

"Good morning," She greeted.

"How'd your session go?" Tasha asked her.

"Pretty good," Jane admitted, "Dr. Coleman reminds me a little of Bordon, without all the homicidal tendencies…"

"That's….good?" Tasha smiled.

"How are you doing?" Jane worried.

"I knew what I was doing," Tasha admitted, "I chose to do it. I can't really blame anyone for not understanding my decisions."

"You did what you thought you had to at the time, looking back and regretting it can't change it." Jane said, a faraway look in her eyes.

"Jane…" Tasha hesitated, "I'm sorry about what happened to Roman."

Jane looked away. She wanted to accept Tasha back into her life, but buying her cover with Roman's life…that was going to take time.

"Tasha," She finally looked over at her, "Did you kill him?"

"NO!" Tasha denied, genuinely shocked, "I told Blake about him because I needed him out of the picture. He would have blown my cover…I didn't know she was going to kill him. I swear."

Jane felt a loosening in her chest. She nodded her acceptance.

"I know he tried to kill us, but for so long he was on our side. I guess as the zip poisoning progressed, he became more paranoid until he finally turned on us." Jane said sadly. "I wished we could have cured him…everything might have turned out differently."

"I heard you almost died," Tasha worried, "Are you okay now?"

"Yes," Jane assured her, "Rich and Patterson went to pretty much the ends of the earth to save me…"

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you." Zapata's guilt just kept piling up.

"It worked out," Jane brushed aside her concern, "Why didn't you tell us what was going on?"

"Keaton warned me not to tell anyone." Zapata insisted.

"You knew you could trust us, you knew we would help you." Jane argued.

"It wasn't my call," Tasha insisted.

"Tasha," Jane placed her hand on Tasha's, "You can't follow anyone blindly, trust me. I followed Sheppard for years as she fueled my distrust of outsiders. She kept Roman and I separated from anyone that didn't believe what she preached. When someone wants you to follow blindly you should probably put some distance between you. Keaton saved my life, but he also tortured me for three months because someone told him to. You need to think for yourself. When I met you, you were sure there were bad people in the world and good people stopped them. There's a fine line between bad and good and it's all based on perception. I know what you're going through, I've lived in those shadows, it's not the life you deserve. Rules can restrict you, but they can also save you. I chose to live my life here with Kurt and the FBI. I know both worlds, so does Rich. We chose this one…join us."

"I want to," Tasha admitted, "But nobody trusts me anymore. It's so hard."

"I know," Jane reminded her, "You need to earn their trust back. It will take time and it might not ever be the way it was before, but don't give up."

"I was so horrible to you when you came back from the Black site," Tasha remembered, "Why are you helping me?"

"I've been you," Jane reminded her, "I know how hard it is. Stop trying to force it. Time is the only way to get past this. They need to learn to trust you again, just be sure you never let them down."

"I won't." Tasha promised.

"I know," Jane assured her, "I'm glad you're back. I missed you."

"I missed you too," Tasha leaned over to hug her.

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"I'm putting Tasha with you and Jane. See if you can find out anything on where Madilyn might be hiding." Reade explained.

"How are you doing?" Kurt asked him seriously.

Reade rubbed the back of his neck, "I want to trust her…"

"But you don't. I know that feeling," Kurt admitted.

"I'm glad she's back," Reade met his eyes, "Do you think I'm making a mistake?"

"No," Kurt denied, "I think she joined the CIA believing that playing inside the rules meant that we could never beat anyone playing outside of them, but then she didn't realize what that would feel like. When Keaton was hurt, she wasn't just pretending to play for the other team, she _was _playing for them. Alone, hunted by the CIA, forced to do Madilyn's bidding, it changed her."

"I don't know the woman that came back," Reade admitted.

"Tasha's still in there," Kurt insisted, "She's just more guarded. When Jane came back from the CIA and was all but forced to go back undercover for Sandstorm…she didn't trust herself. Nas was telling her to do whatever it took to keep her cover. She told me that I believed in her even when she didn't believe in herself…it helped her hold on."

"So, you think I should force everyone to trust her again?" Reade didn't understand.

"No," Kurt denied, "Help her remember who she is…you know her better than she knows herself right now. If you're doubting her, imagine what she's doing to herself. She has shadows in her eyes that weren't there before. Who knows what she had to do to survive? Help her reconcile who she's become with who she was. You can't decide what path she's going to take, but you can be there for her while she comes to terms with her decisions and figures out where she wants to go now. It could make all the difference in her final decision…"

"I can do that," Reade agreed.

"We're here for you if you need to talk," Kurt assured him, "Eventually it will get easier."

"Thanks," Reade looked over to see Tasha hugging Jane. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"We're family," Kurt reminded him.

"Family," Reade agreed with a smile. _Families fight, but they sure as hell don't give up_. Those words he spoke so long ago came back to him now. Just when he needed them the most.


	11. Chapter 11

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Okay, I don't actually know where the last week and a half went…but I'm updating now, so that counts, right? :)

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"I think this is a mistake," Tasha looked over at Jane as they moved through the darkness together.

Jane immediately stopped moving forward.

"It feels off," Jane agreed with a frown back at her.

"Abort," Kurt urged from the mobile van unit sitting three blocks away.

Before they could listen to their instincts, shots rang out…

"We're taking fire," Tasha warned the team, looking over at where Jane was laying prone.

"We're on our way," Kurt assured her as he and Reade made their way to assist in the apparent ambush.

"Jane?" Kurt didn't like her silence. She always fed them information on numbers and the possible locations of any shooters.

"She's down," Tasha reluctantly advised.

"_Down_?" Kurt demanded.

"What are her injuries?" Patterson interceded, her calm voice hiding her racing heart.

"I don't know," Tasha admitted, "She went down right before I heard the first shot, she isn't moving."

"Sniper?" Rich worried.

"I'm going to get her," Tasha said.

"No," Reade insisted, "Wait for backup."

"She's totally exposed," Tasha denied, "If I leave her there, she's not going to make it."

Tasha left her cover to rush to Jane's side, returning fire she tried to buy enough time to pull Jane to safety. She didn't make it.

She never heard the shot, falling forward she felt darkness closing in…

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"They're gone," Reade looked over at Kurt with an agonized expression.

"What the hell just happened?" Kurt demanded, his expression set in stone.

"It was an ambush," Reade conceded, "They were waiting for them."

"We have blood," One of the backup team called to them.

Kurt and Reade rushed over. It was evident that this must have been where Jane went down. She would have been completely exposed if she fell here and Tasha had indicated she was worried about Jane's location…

Kurt stared down at the blood and felt suddenly weak.

"How could they have gotten away, with both Jane and Tasha before we could get here?" Reade demanded to Patterson and Rich.

"It was an ambush," Rich confirmed, "Inside two minutes, Jane and Tasha entered the building and were taken down. A van left the building within six."

"Was it Madelyn?" Reade demanded.

"I don't know," Patterson admitted, "but I don't think so."  
"Why?" Kurt demanded.

"Because they targeted Jane before she even knew what was going on." Patterson explained.

"So you think it might have been the people trying to erase Orion?" Kurt worried.

"Then why take Tasha?" Rich demanded, "Why not just kill them both and leave?"

"Not HCI Global because they would have concentrated on Tasha, but they didn't and not the people responsible for Orion because they took both Jane and Tasha, which they wouldn't have, so what does that leave us with?" Reade demanded.

"I don't know," Patterson worried.

"Can we track the van?" Kurt asked with none of his desperation apparent.

"We're on it," Patterson assured him, "They're headed Northwest…"

"We need to close the distance," Reade insisted as he and Kurt climbed into one of the FBI Vehicles and headed after them.

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Jane was confused, the world spun around her as she tried to understand what was going on.

The last thing she remembered was entering the building with Tasha… _Tasha!_

She pried her eyes open to see Tasha lying beside her.

"Tasha?" She reached for her friend.

Tasha didn't respond. Wincing Jane raised her hand to cover the graze in her left arm. She was confused and groggy. She didn't think it was a result of the wound in her arm. Her hand left her arm and moved over to her neck. It was sore. She'd felt that before…when she and Oliver had been darted.

Trying to sit up she fell back weakly.

"Kurt…" She worried. He would be frantic.

"Tasha," Jane said as she reached over to shake her friend.

Tasha didn't stir.

The van took a corner and she lost her balance. Hitting her arm she saw black spots before everything went black.

The next time she woke up she was on a cot. She noticed the quiet immediately. They were no longer in the city. Looking around she realized she was now alone. The adrenaline that hit her woke her up more completely.

_Where was Tasha?_

Looking down at her watch she realized several hours had passed.

She sat up and weakly rested her head against her hands trying to get her bearings.

Pushing herself up she walked over to the door, turning the handle she frowned when it opened. She'd expected it to be locked. Pulling it open slowly she looked down the empty hall and listened. Everything was quiet. Lifting her chin she started down the hall, she needed to find Tasha…

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"Oh, no," Patterson whispered, her eyes glued to her monitor.

"Oh, no…what?" Rich worried.

"I know who got in the car with Lenard," Patterson told Rich.

"How do you know?" Rich quickly joined her.

"I suspected it," Patterson admitted, "But didn't think it was possible."  
"Suspected what?" Rich was getting frustrated until he caught sight of the screen.

"NO WAY!" He denied immediately, "That can't be right!"

"I checked it three times," Patterson insisted.

"But…it's impossible, isn't it?" Rich pleaded.

"Apparently not," Patterson argued.

"Do you think Jane…lied?" Rich whispered.

"No," Patterson denied, "I don't think she has any idea."

"How can she not know?" Rich demanded.

"I don't know!" Patterson all but yelled at Rich.

"So is this good…or really, really bad?" He worried.

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Kurt and Reade entered the NYO full of frustration. They had trailed the van to the outskirts of the city before they lost them. Worried they headed to Patterson's lab.

"She should have waited for backup," Reade said, his voice aggravated, "If she had remained covered, she might have delayed them long enough for us to get there."

"And Jane might have been killed," Kurt argued.

"Who's to say they aren't already dead?" Reade worried.

Kurt stopped dead.

"Are you saying if one of the team was wounded, exposed…you wouldn't try to help them?" He demanded, ignoring Reade's last comment because he could no way even remotely think that they might be dead.

"No…" Reade relented, "Of course not…but she needs to realize she's not on her own anymore."

"She knows that," Kurt insisted, "This isn't her fault and it's not yours either."

"I made the call that sent them in there," Reade argued.

"We're going to get them back," Kurt said in a determined voice, "But not by second guessing what we all _should_ have done, but figuring out what to do _now_."

"Let's go figure it out," Reade agreed with his face grim.

Kurt didn't waste any more time talking about it, he headed toward Patterson's lab with a worried frown and determined stride.

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Jane came to the end of the hall and froze when she realized the room at the end wasn't empty.

"I didn't think you were ever going to wake up," The man sitting at the table looked over.

She shook her head and took a small step back.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," He taunted her.

"R..Roman?" Jane felt her heart race and her stomach sink.

"It would seem that the report of my death might have been greatly exaggerated." He said with an ironic smile.

Seeing the scar on his face and the familiar banter they'd always exchanged Jane felt her lips tremble.

"You're dead," She refused to believe that this was real and she wasn't just losing it.

"I've always known she was stubborn," Roman looked over to another part of the room, "But not believing her own eyes…that's a new one."

Following his gaze she saw Tasha sitting stiffly on the couch. Her hands were bound and she was thankfully unhurt.

"Are you okay?" She worried.

Tasha nodded her head looking over at Jane in concern.

"Do you…see…" Jane didn't know how to ask this.

"It's Roman," Tasha agreed, her expression softening when she realized what Jane was asking.

Roman suddenly stood up and Jane's eyes flew back over to him.

He walked up to her and she stiffened. Suddenly he pulled her against him and hugged her.

"I've missed you," He admitted.

Jane's arms tentatively closed around him and suddenly she was hugging him back just as fiercely.

"How is this possible?" She demanded, her eyes moist, "I was with you when you died!"

"No," Roman denied, "You were with wanna be me."

"What?" Jane stepped back to look up at him.

"It was Stephan," Roman explained.

"Stephan?" Jane repeated, "But…he died with our parents."

"I guess the report of his death was greatly exaggerated too," Roman said with his trademark smirk.

"Who's Stephan?" Tasha asked them.

"He was Roman's twin brother," Jane explained, "So…all of this time Stephan was the one trying to bring down HCI Global and Hank Crawford?"

"NO!" Roman denied heatedly, "That was my plan, but I needed help. I was the one that set up the new tattoos and made sure you were able to get the bounty off your head."

"So what happened then?" Jane asked him.

"I got sicker and sicker," Roman admitted.

"Stephen decided I needed to be locked up for my own safety," Roman wasn't amused at all now, "He was the one that approached Blake. He was the one that kidnapped Avery and he was the one that tried to have you all killed."

"The cure…" Jane suddenly realized they could help him.

"I'm cured," Roman assured her.

"How?" Jane didn't understand.

"Dr. Roga," Roman said simply.

"But…" Jane protested, "Her cure was destroyed."

"It's just as well you didn't try to take what was in those vials," Roman smiled, "You wouldn't have liked the result."

"What?" Jane was still reeling from this new development and couldn't wrap her mind around what was happening.

"Once we realized she had the antidote ready," Roman explained, "We stole it."

"Why not just have her administer it?" Tasha asked.

"We couldn't trust her," Roman said simply.

"She saved your life," Tasha argued, "And Jane's."

"My twin brother also turned on me and tried to kill our sister," Roman reminded her, "How could you think that was me?"

Jane didn't know how to answer that question.

"I thought Stephan was dead," She reminded him, "Why wouldn't I think it was you?"

"Well," Roman pointed out, "For one, he didn't have a scar."

"I thought you got plastic surgery," Jane admitted.

"Secondly, he tried to kill you," Roman insisted.

"So did you," Jane reminded him.

"Oh, please," Roman just looked at her, "If I had wanted to shoot you the day Sheppard raided the NYO, you would be dead."

Jane had always believed that. Roman didn't miss.

"Then what's with the new tattoos?" Jane demanded.

"I missed you," Roman said simply, "You were off on your own, you had a hit out on you. You were a mess. You obviously needed me, so I decided we could take down Hank Crawford together. I knew you wouldn't just join me, so I needed some way to get your attention."

"I killed Crawford," Jane told him.

"That must have felt pretty good," Roman looked over at her.

"Stephan…" Jane started to say.

"Is dead," Roman said with little remorse. Then he asked the question he really wanted to know, "Did you kill him?"

"NO!" Jane insisted, startled.

"It was Blake," Tasha said from the couch.

Roman shook his head, "That must have sucked for him. He was obsessed with her."

"He loved her…" Jane tried to excuse him.

"He was weak," Roman insisted, "He loved her more than you and more than me…he was a fool."

"Love doesn't make someone a fool," Jane argued.

"You love Weller," Roman reminded her, "But that never made you turn your back on me."

Jane was surprised.

"I couldn't accept it before," Roman explained, "But I've had a lot of time to think about it. I know now what you were trying to do for me. I'm sorry I couldn't see it before. Some people…just can't be helped."

Jane didn't know what to make of that statement.

"We thought you were dead," Jane told him, "Why expose yourself now? You could have had a normal life, free from your past."

"Free from our past?" Roman repeated, "You know that's not possible. You might not remember, but what we've done, there's no getting free from that."

"I do remember," Jane admitted.

"_You remember_?" Roman walked back over and looked down at her, "Remi?"

"Jane," She denied, "I choose to be Jane, but I remember everything."

Roman's smile grew, "I missed you."

"I'm sorry I abandoned you like that," Jane said the one thing that always bothered her.

"You didn't have much choice," He reminded her.

"Now what?" Jane asked him.

"Now we finish what we started," Roman explained. "Take down HCI Global. You're still a mess. Madelyn is trying to kill you, not to mention the people behind Orion…you need me."

"I missed you too," Jane admitted. She'd always considered herself the strong one, but he was right, they'd always been stronger together.

He looked over at her and smiled, "See and that is why I'm not going to let them kill you."

"What about me?" Tasha demanded. She knew Jane wasn't going to let anything happen to her, but the Roman she remembered had little in the way of sentimentality.

"You exposed yourself to try and pull her to safety," Roman explained, "That's when I decided to save you too."

"So you're not going to kill me?" Tasha verified.

"Not today," Roman agreed, without making any promises.

"Then can you release me?" She said with tone, "These ropes are a little tight."

"Sure," Roman agreed moving over to her, "But don't try to kill me…I would hate to break my word. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf here."

Tasha and Jane shared a look as Roman released her.

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"That's Roman," Kurt looked over at Patterson in disbelief.

"He's alive," Patterson agreed.

"How did you find this?" Reade demanded.

"There was something familiar about the man getting into the car," She explained.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kurt asked her.

"Roman was dead," Patterson reminded him, "I thought it was just a coincidence."

"So, what?" Reade worried, "Jane lied to us?"

"NO!" Kurt denied, "She thinks Roman is dead."

"How is any of this even possible?" Reade demanded.

"I think I know," Rich answered Reade's question as he walked up.

"How could you possibly know?" Patterson demanded.

"Meet Stephan Krueger," Rich pulled a picture of Stephan up on the monitors.

"Roman had a twin?" Patterson looked up at Rich in astonishment.

"Why didn't Jane say anything?" Reade asked them.

"She thought he died with their parents," Rich explained.

"How do you know that?" Kurt asked him.

"The night that Ian and Alice went into the orphanage," Rich explained, "Stephan was also taken, but he went to a different facility."

"So he was a trained soldier?" Reade confirmed.

"Yes," Rich assured them, "But he was adopted out once he was liberated. He became a scientist."

"Where has Roman been all this time, then?" Kurt demanded.

"That…I don't know," Rich admitted.

"Why come out of the shadows now?" Reade didn't understand.

"He was trying to save her," Patterson realized, "The ground team found two dead at the warehouse. We think Madeline was trying to set them up. Roman intervened."

"So you think he's on our side?" Reade asked doubtfully.

"If he was the one that set all of this up," Patterson reminded them, "He was helping us take down HCI Global, it was only later that he turned on us."

"So can we trust him…or not?" Reade demanded.

"I don't know," Patterson admitted looking over at Kurt with a worried expression.

Kurt didn't know what to think. If Roman was alive and he had Jane and Tasha…what was he going to do next?


	12. Chapter 12

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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This one is for Pulsar, sorry it took me so long to update. Glad you're enjoying it! :)

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"We need to let the team know that we're alive," Jane told Roman.

"I'm sure Patterson is on it," Roman insisted.

"We could just call them," Tasha suggested dryly.

"I want them to worry a little bit," Roman insisted, "Sending the two of you into that warehouse almost got you killed. It was a stupid move, so let them suffer."

"What about this new leaf you were talking about?" Jane reminded him.

"I'm not fundamentally changing," Roman denied, "I'm just not killing indiscriminately."

"I notice you didn't say _at all_," Tasha noted.

"Well," Roman explained, "Some people _need_ to die…"

"There's a court system for that," Jane reminded him.

"A corrupt system," Roman agreed, "Evil people with the right contacts and enough money get away with terrible things all the time."

"Well," Tasha argued, "You can't just kill them."

"I thought if anyone would understand it would be the two of you." Roman looked between them.

"What do you mean?" Tasha asked defensively.

"You worked for Madelyn for months," Roman reminded her, "You left the FBI for the CIA because you believed the system was flawed and didn't want to be constrained by regulations."

"How do you know so much about me?" Tasha didn't deny his comments.

"I know about all of you," Roman insisted, "The new bioluminescent tattoos on Jane, weren't just to get her attention, they were to make her see…to make all of you see…that nobody is above reproach. Apparently, not even Weller."

"Was it your plan to make Weller think he killed Avery?" Jane demanded.

"No," Roman denied, "But I have to admit after finding _nothing_ on Kurt Weller I was pretty impressed with Stephan's solution."

"It almost destroyed us," Jane wasn't impressed.

"Well, he shouldn't have lied," Roman reminded her.

Seeing how worked up Jane was getting Tasha tried to bring the conversation back to the most pressing point, "About the team…"

"I've already sent Patterson a clue," Roman said with a little grin.

"Why not just call her?" Tasha insisted.

"Patterson loves our little games," Roman denied, "She would be disappointed if I made it too easy for her."

Seeing the grin on his face Tasha and Jane shared a look.

"Why do you think I broke out the information on individual drives?" He asked them. "Not only does it keep the game going, but it allowed me to feed you what information you needed…when you needed it."

"Thanks?" Tasha said in question.

"You should thank me," Roman reminded her, "The last drive kept you away from the CIA Black Site they had all ready for you."

"I almost died," Jane told him out of the blue.

Roman's smile disappeared, "I know, Patterson figured out the map…I'd been working on it for months."  
"Rich had been searching for the Book of Secrets for years," Jane tried to reassure him.

"Rich-Dot-Com," Roman shook his head, "And people thought the names we chose for ourselves were bad."

"Who thought our names were bad?" Jane demanded.

"We're losing sight of the point," Tasha reminded them.

"The team should be here any time," Roman insisted.

"What are you going to do?" Jane worried.

"I'm going to make a deal," Roman assured her, "If they could let a Black Web fast talker become a consultant, then all the information I have on people should be worth something."

"He's not going around town torturing people," Tasha argued.

"That you know anyway," Roman countered.

"Is he…" Jane looked shocked.

"No," Roman laughed, "But that wasn't the point."

"What if they don't make a deal?" Jane worried.

"They'll make one," Roman reassured her, "I know what HCI Global has planned."

Jane hoped he was right…

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They came in mass.

Roman looked over at the security monitor before turning back to Jane, "Your husbands here."

"Aren't you worried they might shoot you?" Tasha asked him.

"Naw," Roman denied, "They're FBI."

"I'm going to meet him," Jane wasn't asking permission.

"Don't you think he'll be happy to see me?" Roman didn't seem concerned.

Jane remained prudently silent.

"I'll stay with your brother," Tasha offered, "Make sure nobody shoots him."

"I knew I liked you," Roman told her.

She didn't know if he was being sarcastic or not.

Jane moved to intercept Kurt with a worried frown. Roman seemed confident, but she knew not all deals were honored…

Kurt looked up when the door at the end of the hall opened. Seeing his wife, he pulled his weapon up and moved toward her quickly.

"You okay?" He asked, not pulling her into his embrace, but his eyes ran over her from head to toe.

"It was Roman," Jane explained, her eyes worried.

"We know," Kurt admitted, "Patterson figured it out."

"He wants to make a deal," Jane warned him.

"Where's Tasha?" Reade didn't comment on her statement.

"She waited with him," Jane explained.

"Is anyone else in the compound?" Kurt demanded.

"Not to my knowledge," Jane denied, "But I just woke up not that long ago."

"Woke up?" Kurt worried.

"He darted us," Jane explained.

Kurt's eyes went to her bandaged arm.

"It's just a graze," she assured him.

They entered the room with Roman and Tasha and Reade moved to her side.

"You okay?" He verified.

"Fine," Tasha assured him.

Roman's complete unconcern for the FBI Agents flooding his hideout relaxed the situation considerably.

"Roman," Kurt greeted him.

"Kurt," Roman dipped his head, "I didn't frame you for Avery's death."

"We know," Kurt admitted, "Jane said you want to make a deal."

"I know…things," Roman agreed.

"Tell us what you know," Reade suggested, "And we'll see what we can do."

Roman actually laughed, "That's not how this is going to work."

"You think I'm just going to give you a deal without you giving us anything?" Reade demanded.

"Yeah," Roman admitted, "You've cracked a lot of the tattoos, but even with everything inked on my sister, I know more. I can help you and you know it."

"Why come in now?" Reade demanded, "We thought you were dead, you could have stayed that way."

"Your careless disregard for my sister's safety is going to get her killed," Roman said bluntly, "I had to do something and since she is unlikely to leave Weller and join me, the only other option is joining you."

Kurt took a step closer to Jane when Roman suggested she leave him.

Roman looked over at Kurt with a little smile, not missing his involuntary reaction to that suggestion.

Kurt glared back.

Jane placed her hand on Kurt's back in reassurance.

He looked over his shoulder at her and she worried about the level of vulnerability in his expression when their eyes met.

She would never leave him willingly again. She needed him to believe that.

"Let's go," Reade took out his cuffs and approached Roman.

Jane stiffened as she watched on in concern. She needn't have worried, Roman simply held out his hands while Reade cuffed him.

Kurt looked down at her and their eyes met. She took a single step toward him and whatever he read in her face brought him the rest of the way to her. His arms closed around her protectively even as Roman walked past them on the way to the NYO.

Kurt knew how vulnerable his wife was when it came to her brother. Years of longing and disappointment had eroded the foundation of their relationship and he knew that even now there was no guarantee this wasn't just another disappointment waiting to happen. Jane was fragile in a way that she hadn't been since she first climbed out of that bag and his protective instincts were screaming at him. He knew he couldn't stop whatever was coming, but he worried. Kissing her brow gently he closed his eyes and held her tighter. Nothing going forward was going to be easy, but they'd face it together like they had everything else.

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Patterson watched Roman on the monitor. She couldn't believe that he was still alive and he'd been playing this game with her through his data caches.

As if he knew she was watching him, he looked up at the video camera with a little smile and tilted his head. She turned away and all but crashed into Rich who was standing behind her.

"So…" Rich was watching her with a speculative expression, "That's Roman."

"Yeah," Patterson acknowledged, "He looks pretty good for a dead man."

"Does he?" Rich's eyebrows rose and he smiled.

"You know what I mean," Patterson said uncomfortably.

"Oh," Rich agreed, "I know exactly what you mean…"

"Rich," Patterson warned him.

"What?" He asked innocently, "I'm not the one staring at the interrogation room video with moon eyes…"

"I'm not!" She denied with her face flushed.

"I'm not saying he's not stare worthy," Rich reassured her, "He most definitely is, but I did not expect this from you."

"Stop it," Patterson warned him. The fact that he wasn't wrong only made her more uncomfortable.

"This is going to be fun," He observed, "Hope we all live through it. Me especially."

"Nice," Patterson glared at him.

"I need you to find out exactly what Roman's been up to since Stephen died," Reade told them as he and Tasha entered the lab.

"How exactly are we supposed to do that?" Rich asked curiously.

"The way you do on everyone else," Reade suggested.

"This isn't everyone else," Rich reminded him, "This is _Roman._"

"He's not superhuman," Reade argued.

"Are you sure?" Rich demanded, "He and Jane are pretty amazing."

"I'm sure," Reade insisted, "We need to treat him like any other criminal who's looking to cut a deal."

"They aren't really going to give him a deal?" Patterson demanded.

"Yeah," Reade admitted, "They are. The fact that he could have walked away and didn't is a factor that works in his favor."

"He's killed…countless innocent people." Patterson reminded him.

"Well," Reade rubbed the tension in his neck, "The information he has in his head could save countless more."

"Says him," Patterson argued.

"I hear you," Reade assured her, "But this is going to happen so I need to know everything ASAP."

"I'll start looking," Rich didn't sound enthusiastic.

"Patterson," Reade looked over at her expectantly, "Are you good?"

"I'm fine," She dismissed, "But I need to interview him."

"What?" Reade looked surprised.

"He's playing a game with us," Patterson insisted.

"Yeah," Reade agreed, "He is."

"I can play it better," She insisted.

Looking at her earnest face Reade didn't doubt her.

Tasha listened in with concern. Roman's earlier taunt ringing back in her head. _Patterson loves the game that we play. She would be disappointed if I made it too easy for her._

"I don't think that's a good idea," Tasha worried.

"Well," Patterson didn't look like she appreciated her concern, "I'm not taking a poll."

Tasha tried to hide her hurt. She knew the choices she'd made had strained their relationship, but she still cared about Patterson. The fact that Patterson barely seemed to tolerate her wasn't going to prevent her from trying to intervene.

"He's playing you," Tasha worried.

"But he's not going to win," Patterson said without hesitation.

Watching her go Tasha didn't say anything more. This was a disaster waiting to happen and there was nothing she could do.

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Jane sat in the observation room with Kurt. She was looking through the two-way glass at the brother she'd thought was gone forever and Kurt was watching her with a concerned expression.

"He's alive," She turned to look at her husband, the shock of that discovery still written on her face.

"Are you okay?' He worried, his hand holding hers as his thumb soothed her wrist.

"Yeah," She assured him, "It's just…"

"Terrifying," Kurt worried.

Jane looked up at him in concern.  
"Are you okay?" She worried.

"Not really," He admitted, "I know you love him, but I don't want him to hurt you again."

"I don't think he's here to hurt us," Jane tried to reassure him.

"I know you don't," Kurt agreed, "But that doesn't mean he won't."

"He will never come between us," Jane assured Kurt, "I won't let him."

"I know," Kurt didn't want to add to her burden, "But what you want from him he might not be able to give you."

"I just want a second chance," Jane admitted.

Kurt didn't say anything. He had no idea where any of this would lead them, but he'd do whatever it took to protect his wife. Even if it was from the brother she loved…

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The door to the interrogation room opened and Roman watched as Patterson came in and sat down across from him.

"You cracked the map," Roman observed.

"Rich and I found the book of secrets," Patterson confirmed.

"Rich?" Roman repeated doubtfully.

"It was a team effort," Patterson explained.

"Sure," Roman clearly wasn't buying it.

"You're treating all of this like a game, but your life is on the line here." Patterson told him tartly.

"It's a gamble I'm willing to take," Roman assured her.

"This isn't just about you," She reminded him, "Jane cares about you, don't make this harder on her."

"Is this really why you came in here?" Roman asked her, "To warn me not to hurt my sister?"

"Not only that," Patterson denied, "I need to know what Madelyn has in store for us."

Roman just looked at her.

She looked back.

"Did you really think I would tell you anything before I got my deal?" Roman finally asked in the ensuing silence.

"You need to understand something," Patterson told him bluntly, "That deal is a piece of paper, the thing that's going to protect you is this team, everything else is just an illusion."

"How do I know that protection isn't an illusion too?" Roman said with no levity.

"I'm not sitting here playing this game with you because I'm bored," Patterson insisted, "You matter to Jane and Jane matters to us. So you matter."

"Don't pretend like you haven't enjoyed our little game as much as I have," Roman all but whispered, "I know you aren't just sitting here for Jane."

"Why are _you_ sitting here?" Patterson didn't respond to his taunt.

"For the same reason as you I would think." Roman admitted.

Patterson looked up at him in startled surprise to find him watching her intently.

"Help me give them something before they find the reason they're looking for to throw you away…" Patterson warned him.

"Madelyn is getting ready to blow up the Chinese Consulate here in New York," Roman finally admitted.

"Why would she do that?" Patterson looked alarmed.

"She's crazy," Roman said in a droll voice, "But it's also in retaliation for the FBI thwarting her plans. She's trying to create chaos to hide her bigger agenda."

"Which is?" Patterson demanded.

"That should be enough to prove that my Intel is good enough to get me the deal." Roman insisted.

"When is she planning to do this?" Patterson worried.

"Today," Roman admitted.

Patterson abruptly stood up and moved back over to the door.

"Patterson," Roman's voice stopped her and she looked back at him, "Thank you for watching out for my sister."

"I'm trying to watch out for you too," Patterson admitted, "But you're too stubborn to realize it."

Once she was gone Roman looked down at his cuffed wrists and smiled.

Jane looked over at Kurt in alarm.

"I don't know what worries me more, Madelyn blowing up the consulate, or the interaction of Patterson and my brother." She admitted.

Kurt just shook his head. It was like they'd gone into an alternative universe where nothing was like they expected it to be.

"This is definitely going to be complicated," Kurt agreed.


End file.
